1 





Class _ _ r<T^7 
Book 



y>^fj 









• 



>X 



BIOGRAPHICAL 



AND 



REMINISCENT HISTORY 



OF 



T" 

JilL. 



AND, GLAY - MARION COUN 



ILLINOIS 



ILLUSTRATED 



B. F. BOWEN & COMPANY, Publishers 

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA 

1909 









1 



PREFACE. 



All life and achievement is evolution; present wisdom comes from past 
experience, and present commercial prosperity lias come only from past exer- 
tion and suffering. The deeds and motives of the men that have gone before 
have been instrumental in shaping the destinies of later communities and 
states. The development of a new country was at once a task and a privilege. 
It required great courage, sacrifice and privation. Compare the present con- 
ditions of the residents of Richland, Clay and Marion counties, Illinois, with 
what they were one hundred years ago. From a trackless wilderness and 
virgin prairie they have come to he centers of prosperity and civilization, with 
millions of wealth, systems of intersecting railways, grand educational in- 
stitutions, marvelous industries and immense agricultural productions. Can 
any thinking person be insensible to the fascination of the study which dis- 
closes the incentives, hopes, aspirations and efforts of the early pioneers who 
so strongly laid the foundation upon which has been reared the magnificent 
prosperity of later days? To perpetuate the story of these people and to trace 
and record the social, political and industrial progress of the community from 
its first inception is the function of the local historian. A sincere purpose 
to preserve facts and personal memoirs that are deserving of preservation, 
and which unite the present to the past is the motive for the present publication. 
The work has been in the hands of able writers, who have, after much patient 
study and research, produced here the most complete biographical memoirs of 
Richland, ('lay and Marion counties. Illinois ever offered to the public. Es- 
pecially valuable and interesting are the sketches of representative citizens of 
these counties whose records deserve perpetuation because of their worth, el- 
fort and accomplishment. The publishers desire to extend their thanks to 
these gentlemen who have so faithfully labored to this end. Thanks are also 
due to the citizens of Richland. Clay and Marion counties for the uniform 
kindness with which they have regarded this undertaking, and for their many 
services rendered in the gaining of necessary information. 

In placing the "Biographical and Reminiscent History of Richland. Clay 
and Mario,, Counties, Illinois," before the citizens, the publishers can com 
scientiouslv claim that they have carried out the plan as outlined in the pros- 
pectus. Every biographical sketch in the work has been submitted to the 
party interested, for correction, and therefore any error of fact, if there be 
any. is solely due to the person for whom the sketch was prepared. Confident 
that our efforts to please will fully meet the approbation of the public, we are. 

Respectfully. 

The Publishers, 



INDEX 



Allen, Hon. James Cameron 84 

Anderson, Truman B 589 

Andrews, Seymour 533 

Arnold, James W 223 

Bachmann, Adam H 273 

Bar of Southern Illinois Six- 
ty-five Years Ago 446 

Barnes, A. C 564 

Baughman, Edmund C 154 

Bauer, F. H 59S 

Bateman, John A 91 

Bates, Francis M 577 

Bavler, David 290 

Beck, Daniel 323 

Beck. John 401 

Blankinship, Charles E 492 

Boatman, Catherine 407 

Boggs, Franklin Gilbert 360 

Bonne}', Judge John R 362 

Bostwick, Landon M 320 

Bolhwell, Henry C 306 

Bower, Hon. William 219 

Bower, John 474 

Boynton, Frank A -. . 78. 

I tledsoe, E. Louis 276 

Bradford. Frank 259 

Branch, Levi 599 

Breeze, Jacob D 566 

Breeze, Sidney 574 

Brigham, Robert 192 

Brinkerhoff, Prof. J. H. G. 524 

Brockman, John C 49S 

Bronson, Horace 579 

Brown, Douglas (' 537 

Brubaker, Edgar F 365 

Brubaker, Eli 205 

Brubaker, Jacob 188 

Bruns. Fr. John H 558 

Bryan, Family 231 

Bryan, J. E 244 

Bryan, Hon. William J 17 

Buenger, Rev. John 95 

Bundy, Charles E 291 

Bundv, William F 336 

Bundy. William Kell 64 

Burgener, Jacob 329 

Hurt. Charles V 606 

Butler, George 382 

Castle, J. E .- 169 

Campbell. George W 432 



Chapman. Robert H 181 

Church, St. James Lutheran 465 
Church, St. Joseph's Cath- 
olic, of Olney, 111 504 

Clark, Thomas J 117 

Cloud, Silas 279 

Combs, Lewis 392 

Coan, William E 500 

Conant, John B .' 96 

Conant, W. S 1 36 

Cope, Allen 304 

Copple, Eli 569 

Copple, Elmer E 568 

Copple, Jacob 549 

Copple, Samuel G 106 

Cox. George L15 

Cunningham. Charles S 343 

Cunningham Family 235 

Dace. James M 328 

Davis, C. R 486 

Davis, John L 562 

Dean, Charles 429 

Delzell, James H 261 

Dew, Charles F 552 

Dillman, William H 41 

Donovan, John F 99 

Doser, George Washington . 437 

Downey, Geo. W 5 15 

Drapar, William L 174 

Dwight, Samuel L 535 

Eagan, Gustin L 532 

Early Lawyers 426 

Eddings, John F 189 

Eighth Illinois Infantry. 

Company D 419 

Embser. Jerome \ 46.'', 

Engle. Joseph A 341 

Evans, H. D 54 

Erwin. Crawford S 66 

Eyer, Jacob 404 

Farquriar. Aaron 1! 263 

Farthing, William H 253 

Feltman. Carlos A 62 

Finch Family 211 

Finch, Solomon T 226 

Fisher. Alex. W 516 

Foster, Hon. Martin D 501 

Foster. Henry C 525 

Fowler I Brothers) 567 

French, John R 217 



Fritchey, Theo. Augustus.. 147 

Fyfe, George S 519 

Fyke, John J 255 

Gaffner, Daniel 199 

Garner, E. P 372 

Gassman, Henry 98 

Genoway, Daniel C 257 

Gerber, Lydia Phillips 327 

Goodale, W. B 585 

Goodenough, Wilbur Adino. 120 

Goss, Joseph 377 

Graham, Samuel H 411 

Graham, Samuel D 139 

Gray, John H 303 

Gray. William H 415 

Green, Jonathan A 527 

Hardman, Thomas A 186 

Hargrave, Thomas M 468 

Hauser, John T 3s7 

Hasler, Christian 108 

Hartley, William A 57-". 

Haynie. D. D II 

Heap, Benjamin F 4S1 

Heaver, George J 29S 

Hedrick, Edwin 373 

Heltman, Philip 195 

Homy. John 477 

Hershberger, David 300 

Hester, David M 343 

Higgins, Brvant 20 

Hiltibidal, George W 316 

Hodges. Isham E 312 

Holstlaw, Daniel S LSI 

Holstlaw, D. W 590 

Holstlaw, Richard J 160 

Holt, Charles H 48 

Hord, Henry 130 

Holt, Luther 33 1 

Holt, Samuel Marion 206 

Hopkins. Charles W 19 

Horrall, Kenneth D 202 

i low ell. James F 80 

Huddleson, Charles S 583 

Hudelson, William H 369 

Huff, Nathaniel G 180 

Huggins, Earl C 102 

Hull. Hon. Charles E 32 

Hunter, James 543 

Hyatt, James F 172 

Idleman, G. A 93 






Ingram, William C L31 

Irwin Walter C 88 

Jami , O \ 71 

Jenn E 

Jennlng Pamllj 

Jennings, Z. C 208 

Johnson, William T 

Jolly, John F L34 

Jones, Ell W 

.1 iB, J. T 69 

in I W 221 

i 

Joy, \ ■ me E 

Levi Hi ro 

. Shannon L9J 

th, i. B 286 

Kelchner, Henry P 

Ki II, Chai h i 128 

John Taylor ... 159 
ECermlcIe Petei . . 1 1 1 

Klmberlli Hem L10 

ade, .1; \i 17s 

Knauer, John, Rev 

Knight, i P 542 

Knoph, \iliii 194 

Koch, i Josi i'li II.: 

Lacey, Wlnfleld S 

Lane, Tlii 

i. .nun, p, John W. . 

w iiiiiini II 130 

i.''\\ I B i6 

i tlchard 178 

Livesa Ufred 

Loom I Pranl< 

I lUcas, \nii-l 110 

McBrid. .ii s mi 

McCawley, John I 

Mc< lollum, II"., Harvej i> *7 

McGahej . George \ 190 

McKnlghl Ro: u 

.i. Laughlln Jo eph K. 

McNIcol, in 

Roherl T 

Maddi ii. Q 

In Benj E Sr 

In Gen i. a S . . . . 26 1 ! 

In John '' ^7 

Martin, rohn E 

Martin, Robert 

Martin, William i 

mdei '' L4t 

tl M 104 

1 1 

rhoma P ... 601 

Mi iiin Hon. Thos. E ,.. 347 

Merz, Wilfred W 121 

Michael . \I W 292 

Mill. In P 

Mills. Israel 

Mori s 



Horrl Ira C 512 

m n Geoi i ' .... 137 

Moi ii ! Japoli "ii B . .",71 

Neal, Thomas B 319 

Newman, William i> 604 

Norflei i. i;. hi. P 332 

ij iii lis infancy 

Olnej Sanitarium 149 

Hiram 159 

Pace, II T 12 

P ilmi i Charles E 169 

i ' 368 

I'" ti as A 224 

Pe ik, Jo leph S 294 

Peddicord, \ M L76 

Peddlcord, Andrew M. 

Pell ce, John \ 136 

in.. John w 171 

P ■ ii I P 240 

i' 229 

I '"n G 

roseph \ 

Puffer, Samuel 389 

Purcell, Prancls M 201 

Pullen, Burden '' ! 

Purdui Ii i l"J^ 

Quayle, J. it 7:: 

i leoi ge S 152 

Rapp, M n hael E 246 

Ratcllff Ji s M 187 

Ratcllff, Thomas 190 

Ri "il. i mi. II 

it. iiiliiiiiii. Julius 561 

Reminisci ill Sketch 119 

les, Henry 1 

Richai di on, Edward 283 

i.'i. in "i on, I: ! • It. . . . 10 

Rll hi I mi- \ i 

Robl i M 528 

R nson, Elbi Idge 

Rodgers, Benj. P 

Rohl, i: irl 

if" i i Prank \ 60 

i" i i Tllmon .1 521 

i' ph P i61 

Ro e Vlbi ri M 345 

Wiley 

Rowland, Elberl 51 

Kv man, Herberl n 189 

Sandi i Charles C 

Sayre, Perrj 390 

Schwartz Brothers 

Schllt, Pred W 

ultz, John M 
ii. nrj William, Sr. 

Sell. ii. di rick 156 

Sell, r John 

Mar) \ 161 

\inii"". 

Shook, Samuel 155 



ai ' Hon Harvej \\'.. . 262 

Slmcox, George B 125 

Slmi i. Rev. William .1. . . 

■ r, Judith M 301 

iworth, J. W 288 

Smith, I'., a], M 82 

Smith, John ;{9'j 

Snivel] & Montgomerj .... 123 

Snod ;ra John \ 

Snuffln, Stephen 131 

\ W 105 

Spring, 1 1, hi j mil' 

■ . irge W 143 

Standiford, George \\ ashini 

Ion in 

Stanford, Samuel \ 101 

Stonei Iph i , rohn S 

.si . Jini.nl . William T ill 

Storer, Ben W 

Telford, Erastus I) in 

.nl. .1 n 270 

rhoma on, John W 

Tlppit, n. hi. Th as 

r. i ' rudge \ X 364 

narj , G n 89 

'' D 539 

i uiiv. Joseph E 

i mfleel . I larrison 154 

i tterbeck, Jetei C 23 

\ in Allium. William 

Vawter, John II 284 

w alker, Joseph II \9'i 

Wail. ins. Bartletl V 171 

Walton, Joseph W 311 

w alton, Orvllle T 523 

Warren, Hem 

Edwin i 588 

Wi ii C 384 

Welton, Edwin 1 546 

West, Charles n ...us 

w ham, Hi mi' ii mi B 

w ham, William 

Wieland, Caleb P ill 

U llklni mi. William T 134 

Williams. \ 1 1 ■ ■ 1 1 . i Ine Robl 1 1 17 

Williams. John P 381 

Williams T. W 54 

V\ II mi. Hon. Edward S. 167 

W II leorge C 

on, William Gllham ... 112 

Wilson, I. a. i,.n ii 

Wilson, Richard 

Wilson, Samuel C I s - 

Wils.m. William II. hi | 394 

w "i .1 . John 

W Iward, MX 

VV .mi. w R 

Wolgamott, Gi 

\ ami. a-. John I' 

Young, u till .i 167 




HON. \V 



LYAN. 



BIOGRAPHICAL. 



WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN. 

By Prof. J. H. G. Brinkerhoff. 

William Jennings Bryan, son of Silas L. 
Bryan ( see biography) and Marian Eliza- 
beth (Jennings) Bryan, was born in Salem, 
Illinois. March 19, i860. As a boy he was 
not different from other healthy, hearty 
American boys, fond of play and fond of 
good things to eat, but rather given to seri- 
ous sport than to mischief. Among his earli- 
est ambition was the desire to become a min- 
ister, but in early youth that desire was lost 
in the ambition to become a lawyer like his 
father and as that ambition seemed to be 
permanent his training was directed to that 
end. When William was six years old the 
family moved to a large farm just outside 
of the corporate limits of Salem, and here 
he studied, played and worked until ten 
years old. his mother, a remarkably strong- 
minded, clear-headed. Christian woman, be- 
ing his teacher, his guide and task-master, 
liis work being such chores as fall to the lot 
of boys in well regulated, prosperous farm 
homes. At the age of ten years he entered 
the Salem public school, which he attended 
five years, but was not particularly bright in 
his studies ; his examinations show thor- 
2 



oughness rather than brilliancy, but his in- 
terest in the literary and debating societies 
was early developed and remained while he 
attended the school and still abides, as is 
shown by the Bryan oratorical contest held 
annually in this school, and for which Mr. 
Bryan provides a first and second prize of 
ten and five dollars respectively. 

In 1872 his father made the race for Con- 
gress, and William, then twelve years of 
age. became much interested in the cam- 
paign, and from that time on he cherished 
the thought of some day being a public man 
and a leader of the people. 

At the age of fourteen he united with the 
Cumberland Presbyterian church at Salem. 
While at Jacksonville he took membership 
with the First Presbyterian church, and 
upon his removal to Lincoln, Nebraska, he 
placed his letter with the First Presbyte- 
rian church of that place, and where his 
membership still remains. 

At fifteen years of age he entered the pre- 
paratory department of Blinois College, at 
Jacksonville, and for eight vears was a stu- 
dent in that college, spending only his vaca- 
tions at home. Mr. Bryan while at college 
was not a great admirer of athletic sports, 
but took a mild interest in base ball and fi k it 
ball, and was rather an enthusiastic runner 



[8 



BIOGRAPHK M Wl> REMINISCENT HISTORY "I 



and jumper, and in a contest open to stu- 
dents and alumni, three years after his grad- 
uation, he won the medal for the broad 
standing jump, twelve feet and four inches 
being the distance coa ered. 

While at the preparatory school the first 
year he entered a prize contest and de- 
claimed Patrick Henry's »Teat speech, and 
ranked near the foot. The second year he de- 
claimed "The Palmetto and the Pine," and 
Stood third. The next year as a freshman 
he tncd for a prize in Latin prose and di- 
vided the second prize with a competitor. 
The same year he gained second prize in 

'.imation. In his sophomore year he 
took first prize with an essay, and in his jun- 
ior year first prize in oration and was there- 
in- made representative of his college in the 
intercollegiate oratorical contest at Gales- 
burg, in 1880. where he received the second 
prize of fifty dollars. That great orator, Gen. 
John C. Black, was one of the judges and 
marked him one hundred on delivery. At 
the close of his college life in 1881, Mr. 
Bryan stood at the head of his class and de- 
livered the valedictory. This much is given 
for the encouragement of young men. show- 
ing that improvement only comes with ef- 
fort, and to persevere, though the first at- 
tempt finds you near the foot. 

In the fall of 1881 Mr. Bryan entered 
Union Law College at Chicago, and spent 
much of his time in the law office of Lyman 
Trumbull. After graduation he returned 
to Salem for a short time, and won his fee 
in the county court of Marion county. 
July 4, 1883, Mr. Bryan began the prac- 



tice of law in Jacksonville, Illinois ; he had 
desk room in the office of Brown & Kirby, 
and now came the real test, waiting for busi- 
ness. The first six months were trying and 
he was forced to draw upon his father's es- 
tate for small advances, and at one time he 
seriously thought of seeking new fields, but 
the beginning of the year 1884 brought 
clients more frequently, and he felt encour- 
aged to stay in Jacksonville, and now feeling 
that he could see success, on October 1. 
[884, he was married to Mis- Mary P.aird. 
of Perry, Illinois. 

Tn the summer of 1887 business called 
Mr. Bryan to the West, and he spent one 
Sunday with a classmate, A. R. Talbot, who 
was located in Lincoln, Nebraska. So greatly 
was he impressed with the opportunities of 
the growing capital of the state that he re- 
turned to Illinois full of enthusiasm for the 
city of Lincoln, and perfected plans for re- 
moval thither. In October. 1SS7. a partner- 
ship was formed with Mr. Talbot, and 
during the next three years a paying prac- 
tice resulted. 

\s soon a- Mr. Bryan settled in Lincoln 
he identified himself actively with the Demo- 
cratic party, of which he had been a mem- 
ber in Illinois, and to the principles of which 
his whi ile being was bound, and made his first 
political Speech at Seward, in the spring 
[888. Soon after he was sent as a deleg 
to the state convention, and in the cam 
of the Firsl Congressional District he made 
manj speeches in favor of J. Sterling Mor- 
ton, and also spoke in thirty-four countii 
in favor of the state ticket. Air. Morton 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



19 



was defeated by thirty-four hundred, as the 
district was strongly Republican. In 1890 
there was but little hope for the Democrats 
in the First District, and Mr. Bryan was 
nominated without opposition. W. J. Con- 
nell was the Republican nominee. A chal- 
lenge to conduct the canvass by a series of 
joint debates was issued by Mr. Bryan and 
accepted by Mr. Connell. and at the close 
Mr. Bryan won by a plurality of six thou- 
sand, seven hundred and thirteen. Mr. 
Bryan was elected to Congress again from 
a new district which had been formed when 
the state was re-apportioned in 1891. The 
Republican state ticket carried the district 
by six thousand, five hundred, but Mr. 
Bryan was elected by one hundred and forty 
plurality. During the four years he was in 
Congress, he was very active, taking part in 
every important debate and speaking many 
times. He declined to run again for Con- 
gress but later permitted his nomination for 
the Senate, but the Republicans carried the 
state and Thurston was chosen Senator. 

The Democratic National Convention 
convened at Chicago July 4, 1896, and for 
four days a battle of giants ensued over the 
monetary plank in the platform. Speeches 
were made for and against the free silver 
coinage plank by such men of master minds 
and national reputations before the conven- 
tion as Senator Tillman, Senator Jones, 
Senator Hill, Senator Vilas, ex-Governor 
Russell. Senator Tillman favored the ma- 
jority report of the committee, which fa- 
vored the free coinage; all the rest opposed. 
The debate was closed by Mr. Bryan in 



support of the majority report in a speech 
which rang so true and was such a master 
piece of oratory that the convention was 
swept off its feet and brought to Mr. Bryan 
the nomination for the Presidency on the 
fifth ballot on Friday, July 10th. After a 
most remarkable campaign he was defeated 
by William McKinley being elected. 

Four years later Mr. Bryan, greater in 
defeat than other men in success, was again 
the choice of the Democratic party for the 
Presidency, and again suffered defeat, Mr. 
McKinley being re-elected. In 1904 the 
Democratic party nominated Alton B. Par- 
ker, of Xew York, for President, and he 
led the party to the most crushing defeat 
ever suffered by any party since the days of 
John Ouincy Adams. 

In 1908 the Democratic party again nom- 
inated Mr. Bryan, and the Republican party 
William H. Taft and again the decision was 
against the former. Thrice defeated yet 
with each defeat growing greater, ad- 
vocating great principles which he sees his 
political opponents adopt, he stands today 
the greatest living American. 

When in 1906 and 1907 he took a trip 
around the world, he was received every- 
where with such ovations as are seldom ac- 
corded to any, and were never before to a 
private citizen, and his welcome home in the 
city of Xew York was a demonstration of 
love and respect from Americans to an 
American that has never been equalled in 
the history of the nation. Mr. Bryan may 
never be President, but he has made an 
.impress on the nation for good that can 






BI0GRAPH H \l \\l> REMINISCEN1 HISTORY OF 



never be effaced and from his life the peo- 
ples of the world have received an uplift 
that will be felt to bless generations yet un- 
born. In his life of moral purity, in his sin- 
Christianity, and in his addresses on 
the duties and respi msibilities i if life l" 
given a new impulse to many a youth for 
better tiling ami if his work closed now 
the "iic address "The Prince of Peace," will 
a monument, more enduring than 
chiseled marble or moulded brass, standing 
forever as it must in the higher aims, purer 
thoughts, nobler impulses anil grander lives 
■ if the men and women of the Amen 
the future. 



BRYANT HIGGINS. 

I Ik- family of "in- subjeel ha- been known 
in Richland county since the pioneer pe- 
riod, and. without invidious comparison, it 
can with tj he said that no other 

name is better known or more highl) es- 
teemed in Richland comity. Honored and 
respected bj all. there is today no man in 
the county wl cupies a more enviable 

position in the estimation of the public, nol 
alone by the success he has achieved, hut 
also for the commendable and straightfor- 
ward policies which hi- has ever pursued and 
the blameless life he has livid I le has led a 
if noble endeavi ir, a life not devi -id i if 
hardship anil failure, hut withal successful 
and happy and one that is calculated to ben 
elit any locality, therefore those who I 
Mr. Higgins are glad to accord him the re- 



spect due him. and in his old age he has the 
cheer of loyal friends and the thought that 
his life has been lived in a manner that !■ 
resulted in m i e\ il i r harm to anyone. 

Bryant Higgins, an account of whose in- 
teresting reminiscences of the earl) .lays 

appears in this work, and who has been one 
..I the leading business and public men in 
Richland county, who is now living in hon- 
orable retirement, enjoying a well earned 
respite, was born in Edwards comity, llli- 
noi . September 28, 1838. George Hig- 
gins, grandfather of the subject, was a na- 
tive of Connecticut, whose father. Willis 
Higgins, was horn in Ireland, and was a 
follow ei of Cromwell. When that great 
der weni down in defeat, Willis Higgins 
soon afterward emigrated to \merica. lo- 
cating ai Hartford, Connecticut, where he 
passed the remainder of his life. He used 
the prefix "< >" to his name, < l'l liggins, I U 
was a military man mosl of his life, belong- 
ing to the English army. George Higgins, 
grandfather of our subject, was horn in 
Hartford. Connecticut, and became a tan- 
ner, which profession he followed for a 
number of years, lie came to Illinois in 
1 So; with his family, settling where is now 
Friendsville, Wabash county, then known as 
Edwards county, which included nearly 01 
third of the state. All was then wilderness 
west of the Alleghanj Mi untains. He was 
among the early pioneers of this state. 
Many hardships were endured on his trip 
overland. lie took Up land, cleared and 
improved farms, lie was a typical pioneer 
of -telling traits. George Higgins was a 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



21 



Revolutionary soldier, having been in a reg- 
iment of Connecticut infantry. The sub- 
ject has a pair of spectacles which his 
grandfather wore from Dorchester Heights 
to Yorktown. It is a relic which he prizes 
very highly. A well one hundred and fifty 
feel deep was dug at Friendsville in those 
days when it was inside of what was then 
Fort Barney, and George and Ransom Hig- 
gins, the latter the subject's father, helped 
dig the same. It is still in use. George 
Higgins died there at an advanced age. Our 
subject's father. Ransom Higgins. was born 
in Hartford, Connecticut, where he was 
reared, and in this state he married Ann 
Bullard. a native of South Carolina. In 1800 
Ransom Higgins made the long trip over- 
land on horseback from Hartford to Vin- 
cennes. Indiana. It was a trip of inspec- 
tion to the vicinity of wdiat is now Friends- 
ville for the purpose of finding a place for 
settlement of a colon}- which came in 1803, 
already referred to. He returned to Con- 
necticut in 1 So 1 and accompanied the colony 
west two years later. Fie was a millwright 
and probably built the first mill in this lo- 
cality in 1805 on the Embarass river. It 
was driven by water power. It was located 
where Billet Station now stands on the Big 
Four Railway, the mill having been built for 
a .Mr. Brown. The father of our subject is 
described as a very humane man. He was 
a man of great physical endurance, six feet 
and four inches in height and weighed two 
hundred ami seventv pounds. About the 
time he built the mill referred to he found 
an Indian in the woods with a broken leg, 



w In mi he carried to shelter and nursed. 
Soon after this the Indian warned him that 
Brown and his family would be killed. Mr. 
Higgins urged them to leave the mill and 
seek shelter, but they refused and were soon 
afterward killed. Mr. Higgins was after- 
wards known to the Indians as "Big Medi- 
cine Man." He was Justice of the Peace 
for many years, being among the first in the 
territory. He was also Overseer of the 
Poor. He was a man of great bravery and 
courage and made a gallant soldier in the 
War of 1812, and also in the Black Hawk 
war, and enlisted for the Mexican war, but 
was later sent In ime. He was at the battle 
of Tippecanoe. His death occurred in 1850 
in Edwards county, at the age of sixty-eight 
years. His faithful life companion, a w< nnan 
of many fine traits, passed to her rest in Ol- 
ney at the age of seventy-nine years. They 
were the parents of eight children, all de- 
ceased except the subject of this sketch, who 
was the youngest of the family. 

Bryant Higgins. our subject, was reared 
amid pioneer scenes on a farm. He attend- 
ed subscription and public schools, also had 
private tutors, and made good use of his 
opportunity, such as it was in those early 
days, to secure a fairly good education. He 
studied civil engineering and surveying un- 
der a Mr. Sloan, making rapid progress in 
this line of work, which he followed with 
gratifying results for many years. He lo- 
cated in Richland county in 1N51, and has 
since resided here. He did much of the 
earl\- surveying in Richland county and has 
seen the same develop from the wilderness 



-'-' 



I'.luCU \niic.\l. WD REMINISCENT IIISTOKY OF 



to its present high position among the sis- 
ter counties of this great commonwealth, al- 
ways doing his just share in the work of 
progress. 

Mr. Higgins was one of the loyal sons of 
the Union who was glad to offer his services 
under the old flslg when the dark days of 
rebellion came, having been among the ear- 
liest to enlist in April, [861, in Company D, 
Eighth Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infan- 
try, his enlistment having been for three 
months. The subject and John Lynch were 
instrumental in organizing Company D, 
which was the first company organized and 
mustered from Richland county. After his 
first term of enlistment had expired he en- 
listed in Company G, Twenty-sixth Illinois 
Volunteer Infantry, in which he served in a 
most gallant manner until the close of the 
war. having been mustered out at Moscow, 
Tennessee, in 1865. During his service he 
was in the siege of Corinth and the battles 
there, also fought at Iuka, Farmington, the 
siege of Vicksburg, Missionary Ridge, the 
siege of Atlanta. He was wounded at Far- 
mington, Mississippi, May 9, [862, having 

n hit in the right elbow by a piece of 
shell. He was examined for promotion 
twice and was on General Loomis' staff, but 
was not commissioned, being orderly ser- 

int. Nineteen years after the war closed 
he was presented with a badge made- at 
Meriden, Connecticut. It was given to Mr. 
Higgins by Gen. John Mason Loomis, who 
had it made in recognition of services ren- 
dered li\ the subject. The arrangement of 
the badge commemorates the Thirteenth, 



Fifteenth, Seventeenth and Twentieth Army 
Corps, the subject having been a member of 
the Fifteenth, John A. Logan's Corps, which 
was never defeated, and was never set 
against a town it did not capture. The old 
cartridge box of forty rounds became the 
badge of the Fifteenth Army Corps. 

After the war Mr. Higgins returned 
home, having married in 1862 while on a 
trip to Springfield, Illinois, on military busi- 
ness. He took up surveying and civil en- 
gineering and did much work settling old 
disputed business. In 1892 he was elected 
County Surveyor, being the only Republican 
on the ticket elected in a Democratic coun- 
ty, which fact proved his great popularity 
in his locality. lie has lived in Olney many 
years and has taken an active interest in the 
welfare of the community. In the spring of 
1907 he was elected a member of the City 
Council, being the sixth year as a member 
of the same. He also served one term as 
City Surveyor, lie now lives retired in a 
beautiful and comfortable home, modern 
and nicely furnished. 

The wife of Mr. Higgins was Sarah E. 
Marney before her marriage, the daughter 
of Robert and Sarah E. I Morris) Marney. 
pioneers of Richland comity, where Mrs. 
Higgins was born. Her father was a na- 
tive of Scotland and her mother was born 
in Kentucky. 'The Morris family were great 
slave owners, bringing them to Illinois, and 
later freed them here. Colonel Morris, 
grandfather of Mrs. I [iggins, also her father, 
Robert Marney, were in the War of [812 
and weir m the battle of Tippecanoe. Col- 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



one! Morris being wounded there. Robert 
Marney was the first Probate Judge of 
Richland county. 

Mr. and Mrs. Higgins are the parents of 
five children, four boys and one girl, two of 
whom are living. Their oldest son, Lew 
K.. is in the employ of the Wells Fargo Ex- 
press Company at Oakland, California, 
James, the youngest son, is fireman on the 
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad ; Edward died 
in infancy; Mary died at the age of sixteen 
years ; Robert was killed in a railroad wreck 
in Arizona when thirty years old, having 
been conductor on the Santa Fe Railroad. 

Mr. Higgins has been a keen and alert 
man of affairs, and long a man of power in 
his community. Over half a century has 
passed since he came to this county and his 
name is inscribed high on the roll of honored 
pioneers. 



JETER C. UTTERBACK. 

Prominent among the leading journalists 
of southern Plinois is the well known and 
highly esteemed gentleman whose name fur- 
nishes the caption of this article. As editor 
and proprietor of one of the influential pa- 
pers in his ^>art of the state he has been a 
forceful factor in moulding sentiment in his 
community and directing thought along 
those lines which make for the enlighten- 
ment of the public and the highest good of 
his fellow men. 

Jeter C. Utterback is a native of Jasper 
county, Illinois, where his birth occifrred on 
the 8th day of August, 1873. His father, 



B. C. W. Utterback, a Kentuckian by birth, 
was the son of Thomas Utterback, who was 
also a native of the Blue Grass state, and a 
member of one of the oldest pioneer families 
of Grayson county. In an early day Thomas 
Utterback became prominent in the affairs 
of his county and stood high in the confi- 
dence and esteem of his fellow citizens. In 
1836 he migrated to Illinois and settled in 
the northwestern part of Richland county, 
where he also became a local leader and a 
man of wide influence. He was a farmer by 
occupation, and in due time accumulated a 
large and valuable estate in the county of 
Richland, in which he spent the remainder 
of his days, dying a number of years ago, 
deeply lamented by the large circle of friends 
and acquaintances who had learned to prize 
him for his sterling worth. 

B. C. W. Utterback was reared to matu- 
rity in Richland county, and, like his father, 
followed agricultural pursuits for a liveli- 
hood. In the early seventies he disposed of 
his interests in the county of Richland and 
removed to Jasper county, where he contin- 
ued farming and stock raising until 1878, 
when heturned his land over to other hands 
and took up his residence in Newton, where 
he is now living a life of honorable retire- 
ment. Nancy Ann Hinman, who became the 
wife of B. C. YV. Utterback in January, 1856, 
was born in Bartholomew county, Indiana, 
where her father, Titus Hinman, a native of 
Ohio, settled in an early day. She bore her 
husband ten children, seven -of whom sur- 
vive, namely: Eva, wife of George E. Hut- 
son, of Dundas, Illinois; Thomas H, As- 
sistant State Librarian, who lives in the 



-'4 



BIOGRAPHICAL \ \ I > REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



city of Springfield; Hester, now Mrs. T. C. 
( hamberlin, of Newton; Charles C. resides 
in Salem; Albert I.., of Caney. Kansas, 
where he holds the position of postmaster; 
M. T., of Newton, and Jeter C, whose name 
introduces this sketch. 

Jeter ( '. Utterback Spent lii s early life in 
the t'>w n of Newton, grew up under the 
Sturdy and invigorating discipline of an ex- 
cellenl home environment and while still a 
lad laid his plans Eor the future with the 
object of becoming something more than a 
mere passive agenl in the world of affairs. 
In due time he entered the schools of his 
native place and after attending the same 
until completing the prescribed course of 
study, began learning the printer's 

de in the office of the Newton Mentor, 
where he made rapid progress and soon 
became quite proficient, besides obtaining- a 
practical knowledge of other branches of the 
profession. After mastering the trade he 
worked for a short lime in Webb City. Mis 
SOUri, and then accepted a position in the 

office of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, where 
he continued until [891, when he came to 
Salem. Illinois, and entered the employ of 
Mr-. 1 telle C. John-. m. editress and man- 
of I he Republican, with whom he 
continued until affecting a co-partnership 
with In- brother, T. II. Utterback, for the 
1 if a paper four years later. 
Republican under the joint manage 
nieiit of the Utterback brother-, continued 
I" make it- periodical vi-it- about one year, 
when the plant passed into the hands of G 
C. Ilarner. the subject going- to the town 
of Carrollton, where he followed his chosen 



calling until his return to Salem in 1896, 
when he again became interested in The Re- 
publican, buying the paper that year from 
his brother, who in the meantime had suc- 
ceeded Mr. Ilarner as editor and proprietor. 
On becoming sole proprietor of The Repub- 
lican Mr. Utterback infused new life into 
the paper and u was nol long until its influ- 
ence began to be felt throughout the county, 
not only as an able political organ, but as a 
clean, dignified and popular family paper, 
through the columns of which appeared all 
the late-t new-, also much of the best liter- 
al tut- of the day, to say nothing of the 
numerous production- from the pens of local 
writers. Since assuming control he has 
enlarged the paper as well as added to it- 
interest and popularity besides purchasing 
new machinery, presses and other appliances 
and thoroughly equipping the office until the 
plant i- now one of the most: valuable of the 
kind in Marion count), ami in all that con- 
stitutes a live up-to-date -beet The Repub- 
lican compares favorably with any other lo- 
cal paper in the southern part of the state 
Mechanically it is a model of the printer's 
art, and politically is staunchly and uncom- 
promisingly Republican, being the official 
part) organ of Marion county, while its in- 
fluence in directing and controlling current 
thought in relation to the leading <|tiestions 
and issues of the day has brought it promi- 
nently to tin.- notice of party leaders through- 
. mi the state 

\- an editorial writer. Mr. Utterback is 
clear, forceful, elegant, at times trenchant, 
and in discussing the leading questions be- 
fore the people he is a courteous but fearless 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



and formidable antagonist. On all matters 
of public policy he occupies no neutral 
ground, but fearlessly and honestly advo- 
cates what he considers to be for the best 
interest of the people and regardless of con- 
sequences. In addition to its prominence 
and influence as a party organ, Mr. Utter- 
back has endeavored to make his paper 
answer the purpose of an educational factor 
and such it has indeed become, as its con- 
tents, both political and general, tend to 
improve the mind and cultivate the taste 
rather than appeal to passion and prejudice, 
after the manner of too many local sheets. 

In recognition of valuable political ser- 
vices as well as by reason of his fitness for 
the position, Air. Utterback in February, 
1907, was appointed by President Roosevelt, 
postmaster of Salem, the duties of which 
responsible position he has discharged with 
commendable fidelity, proving an able, cour- 
teous and truly obliging public official. At 
the time of his appointment the office was 
in the third class with a salary of $1,700 
per year, but since then the business has in- 
creased to such an extent that it is m >\\ a 
second class office with fair prospects of 
advancing. 

Since the establishment of a post-office 
at Salem many years ago, no young man 
was appointed postmaster until the honor 
fell to Mr. Utterback, and to say that he has 
been praiseworthy of the trust and dis- 
charged the duties as ably and faithfully as 
any of his numerous predecessors is to state 
a fact of which all are cognizant, and which 
all, irrespective of political alignmen-t. most 
cheerfully concede. The high esteem in 



which he is held as an editor, public servant 
and enterprising citizen, indicate the pos- 
session of sterling manly qualities and a 
character above reproach, and that he is 
destined to fill a still larger place in the pub- 
lic gaze and win brighter honor with the 
passing of years, is the belief of his friends 
and fellow citizens, based, they say, on the 
able and conscientious manner in which he 
has fulfilled every trust thus far confided to 
him. Air. Utterback, although a young man, 
has achieved success such as few attain in 
a much longer career, and the hope the peo- 
ple of Salem and Marion county entertain 
for his future seems fully justified and well 
founded. 

Mr. Utterback is a splendid type of the 
intelligent, broadminded American of today, 
and personally as well as through the me- 
dium of the press he is doing much to foster 
the material development and intellectual 
growth of his city and county, besides exer- 
cising' an active and potential influence in 
elevating the moral sentiment of the com- 
munity. He holds membership with the 
Pythian Lodge of Salem, and has labored 
earnestly to make the organization answer 
the purposes which the founders had in 
view, exemplifying in his daily life and con- 
duct the beautiful principles and sublime 
precepts upon which the order is based. He 
is a believer in revealed religion, and while 
subscribing to the Methodist faith is not 
narrow in his views, having faith in the 
mission of all churches and to the extent of 
his ability assisting the different organiza- 
tions of his city, although devoutly loyal 
to the one with which identified. 



26 



BIOGRAPHICAL V\l> REMINISCEN1 lllsriiin OF 



Mr. I ftterback i >w ns i me > »f the most beau- 
tiful and attractive homes in Salem, which 
is .1 favorite resort of the best social circle 
of the city, and within its walls reigns an 

air of genuine hospitality which sweetens 

the welcome extended to every guest that 
crosses the threshold. The presiding spirit 
of this attractive domicile is a lady of intel- 
ligence and gracious presence who presides 
over the family circle with becoming grace 
and dignity, and whose popularity is only 
bounded l>v the limits of her acquaintance. 
The maiden name of this estimable woman 
was Charlotte 1!. Merritt, and the ceremony 
b) winch it was changed to the one she now 
so worthily hears as the wife and helpmeet 
of the subject was solemnized on the 2nd 
day of November, iS»>N. Mrs. I tterh.uk 
is the daughter of Hon. T. E. Merritt, of 
Salem, ex-Senator from Marion county, and 
a man of influence and high standing both 
politically and socially. Mr. and Mrs. I 't- 
irih.uk have one child, a son. Tom C, who 
was born October 17, [901, and for whose 

future his fond parents entertain many ar- 
dent hopes. 



Rl >BERT T. McQUIN. 

In the pursuit Of his business career Mr. 
\l< I )uin has ■ 1 1 ing devotion 

to the principles I learned to cherish 

and his i, md integrity have earned 

him a place among the representative and 
11 1 citizens of Marion county, Illi- 
nois. 



Robert T. McQuin was horn in Johnson 
county, Indiana. October [6, 1853, mi * ^" u 
of William I. McQuin, a native of Kentucky 
who went to Indiana when a young man. 
Me was a carpenter by trade. lie moved 
from Indiana soon after our subject was 
born, locating at Oconee, Shelby county, II 
linois, where lie lived for three or four years. 
Then he moved to Salem, Illinois, in July, 
1851). The first work he did here was on 
the Park Hotel, which was built in that year 
by Amos (lark and which was known then 
as the Clark Mouse. William 1. McQuin 
continued to live in Salem, where he was 
regarded as a man of integrity and influ- 
ence, until his death in October, 1S99. The 
mother of the subject of this sketch was 
known in her maidenhood as Mary E. Stur 
geoii, who was a native of Kentucky and a 
w 1 nnan of many estimable trait-. I ler mi 'til- 
er lived to reach tin- remarkable age of nine- 
u seven years. One of her brothers was a 
policeman in St. Louis, Missouri. She died 
in April. 1908, in Denison, Texas, where 
she was living with her son, Kdwm S. Mc- 
Quin. 

The father and mother of the sub 
were the parents of nine children, live of 
whom are living. Their names in order of 
birth follow: Tarlton, deceased: William F., 
deceased; Robert T., our subject: James S., 
who 1, In in-- at Xew Castle, Indiana, and 
is secretary ami treasurer of the Hoosier 
Kitchen Cabinet Company, which is doing 

an extensive business all over the world: 
Sarah K., deceased: Agnes, deceased; Ed- 
win S., living at Denison, Tex., hem- a con- 
ductor on the Missouri, Kansas i\- Texas 



RICHLAND. CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



27 



Railroad Company's lines: John T., a car- 
penter, living in St. Louis ; May lives with 
her brother in Denison, Texas. 

These children all received every advan- 
tage possible by their parents, who tried to 
raise them in a wholesome home atmosphere, 
setting worthy ideals before them at all 
times. 

Robert T. McOuin, our subject, lived with 
his father until he was twenty-five years old. 
assisting with the work about the place and 
attending the public schools of Salem, in 
which he diligently applied himself, and re- 
ceived a fairly good education. When twen- 
ty years old he began working as a harness 
maker and two years later commenced the 
shoemaker's trade, following this with much 
success until 1881. when he launched into 
the shoe business for himself, having con 
tinned the same ever since with satisfactory 
results, building up a large and extensive 
trade by reason of his honest business prin- 
ciples and his uniform courtesy to custom- 
ers. His trade extends to all parts of the 
county and his store is well known to all 
the citizens of Salem and surrounding towns 
for his patrons have learned that he handles 
the best grade of footwear in the market and 
always gives good value. He augmented his 
business in 1889 by adding a complete stock 
of harness and by doing a general line of re- 
pair work. He now handles a full line of 
harness and similar materials. He manufac- 
tures most all of his heavy harness and >mt 
buggy harness, being recognized as the lead- 
ing dealer in this line in Marion county. 

Mr. McQuin was happily married to Jen- 



nie Slack, October 16, 1879, the refined and 
accomplished daughter of Frederick VV. 
Slack, who lived in Salem ;»t that time. Her 
family were natives of Kentucky. It was 
rather singular that this family moved from 
Kentucky to Oconee. Illinois, and then to 
Salem simultaneously with the McOuin fam- 
ily; however the last move was made a few- 
years after the McOuin family came to Sa- 
lem. Two children have been born to the 
subject and wife, namely: Maud, who is the 
wife- of Dwight W. Larimer, in the abstract 
business in Salem; Ralph is the second child 
and a student of the Salem public schools. 

Mr. McOuin has been twice honored by 
being elected City Council of Salem. He 
is associated with his brother-in-law, W. S. 
Slack, in the monument business in Salem, 
which is also a thriving business, the firm 
name being R. T. McOuin & < 'ompany. 

Our subject is a Modern Woodman in his 
fraternal relations and he belongs to the 
Presbyterian church, having been a consist- 
ent member of the same for a period of thir- 
ty-four year- in [908. Mr-. McOuin also 
subscribes to this faith. Our subject has 
been a deacon in the church and is now a 
ruling elder. 

Mr. McQuin has ever been known as a 
loyal citizen and has done his share in aid- 
ing the march of progress and development 
in this county, and during his resilience in 
Salem his characteristics have won for him 
recognition as a man of upright dealing arid 
by his many virtues he has won the respect 
and esteem of his fellow citizens. 



28 



BIOGRAPHK \l. AM' REMINISCEN1 HISTORY OF 



WALTER C. IKW IN. 

One of the progressive and well known 
business men of Salem, Marion county, tlli- 
is the subject of this sketch, who has 
spent his life in this .vicinity, a life that has 
been very active and useful, for he has not 
lost sight of the fact that it is every man's 
duty to aid in the upbuilding of his county 
in all liiu-> of development while he is ad 
v;incinu' his own interests, and heeause c if the 
fact that he has ever taken an interest in 
the public weal, has led an honorable and 
stent career, being al present one of the 
In si km iwn druggists i if the a unity, the pub- 
lishers of this work are glad to give him 
proper representati m here. 

Walter C. Irw in. of the Salem I )rug ( a >m- 
pany, was horn in Inka. this county, in Oc- 
tober, (866, tin- son of Dr. J. A. Irwin, a 
native of Johnson county, Missouri, who 
came to luka at thecloseof the war. having 
i surgeon in the I onfederate army un- 
der General Price's command, lie was at 
the battle of Wilson's Creek, near Spring- 
field, .Missouri, and also the battle of Pea 
Ridge, Arkansas, in addition to main othei 
smaller engagements. Me successfully prac 
ticed his profession from [865 to 1905, and 
is now living at St. Augustine, Florida, 
when en! in F905 on ace ami 1 if his 

Mil. 

The mother of the subjeel was Mar) 

Dubbs, a native of Pennsylvania, who came 

to Illinois in [865. She was a woman of 

many praiseworthy traits and passed to her 

[894 at luka. Four children were 



horn to the parents of our subject, named in 

order of birth as follows: Walter,subject of 
sketch; Byrdie, the wife of Charles A. 
Bainum, cashier of the First National Bank 
at Bicknell, Indiana; J. Max is practicing 
medicine at St. Augustine, Florida; Maggie 
Aliee died in 1NN0. 

Waller Irwin was reared at luka. where 
he attended the common scl Is, later tak- 
ing a course in Lincoln University at Lin- 
coln. Illinois, winch he attended for two 

years, making a brilliant record as a student. 
\fter this he attended the Business Univer- 
sity at Lincoln for one year, having g 
nated from the same, lie then returned to 
[uka and was engaged in general merchan- 
dising and the drug business until 1894, 
when he came to Salem and embarked in 
the drug business. While at luka he was 
postmaster under Cleveland and resigned to 
Ci uiie to Salem, and his father was appointed 
postmaster in his place. Our subjeel has 
keen in Salem ever since, with the exception 
of two years spenl as a traveling salesman, 
when he resided in Bloomington, this 

The Salem Drug Company was organized 
Augusl 26, [907. Prior to that time Mr. 
Irwin owned the store, having established it 
in [904, and with the exception of the two 
years noted he has been continuously identi- 
fied with it. building up an excellent trade 
with the pei iple of Salem and the entire ci mn- 
ty, as the result of his unusual know led 
this line of business and his courteous and 
impartial treatment 1 if cuts, ,nici 5. 

Mr. Irwin was married in 1892 to Maggie 
is, m, who was born in Ste\ enson 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES. ILLINOIS. 



township, this county, the accomplished 
daughter of Samuel E. Stevenson, now de- 
ceased, for whom the township was named. 
I le was a prominent citizen of the county for 
many years. 

One son, a bright and interesting lad, has 
added cheer and comfort to the home of our 
subject, who bears the name of Eugene E , 
and whose date of birth occurred November 
5, 1893. while the family was residing" at 
Iuka. 

Mr. Irwin has prospered as a result of his 
well directed energies and has considerable 
business interests besides his drug store, 
arm ing which may be mentioned a half inter- 
est in the Fibernie Sweep Clean Company, 
manufacturers of a preparation for cleaning 
floors, carpets, etc., the main office being lo- 
cated at Salem with branches in Springfield, 
Missouri; Memphis, Tennessee, and Fort 
Smith, Arkansas. The business of this con- 
cern is growing at a rapid stride. Mr. Ir- 
win is a stockholder and director in the Sa 
lem Xational Bank. He is also proprietor 
of the White Foam Company, which manu- 
factures a preparation for cleaning fabrics 
without rubbing and which at present prom 
ises to become in immense demand. Our 
subject is also a stockholder and director in 
the Oleite Manufacturing Company, of St. 
Louis, which manufactures leather dress- 
ings. 

Mr. Irwin has served in a most acceptable 
manner as a member of the Salem Board of 
Education. In his fraternal relations he is 
a Mason, a member of the Knights of Py- 
thias, the American Home Circle, Ben Hur 



and the Eastern Star, and Mr. and Mrs. Ir- 
win are members of the Presbyterian church. 
They live in a modern, comfortable and 
nicely furnished home, which is presided 
over with rare grace and dignity by Mrs. 
Irwin, who often acts as hostess to 
numerous admiring friends, and every- 
one who crosses its threshold is made 
partaker of the good will and hos- 
pitality that is always unstintingly dis- 
pensed here, and because of their genuine- 
worth, integrity, uprightness and pleasing 
manners no couple in Marion county en- 
joy to a fuller extent the esteem and friend- 
ship of all classes than our subject and wife. 



BENJAMIN E. MARTIN, Sr. 

It is sate to venture the assertion that no 
one attains eminence in business or any pro- 
fession without passing through a period of 
more or less unremitting toil, of disappoint- 
ments and struggles. He who has brought 
his business to a successful issue through 
years of work and has established it upon 
a substantial basis, and yet retains the ap- 
pearance of youth, who has in his step the 
elasticity of younger days and shows little 
trace of worry or care that too often lag the 
footsteps of the direction of large affairs, 
must be a man possessed of enviable char- 
acteristics. Such is a brief word picture oi 
the worthy gentleman whose name forms the 
caption of this sketch, as he now appears, 
after a long, active and prosperous business 



3° 



BIOGRAPHICAL \XI> REMINISCEN1 HISTORY OF 



career, the peer of any of his contemporaries 
in all that enters into the make-up of the suc- 
cessful man of affairs or that constitutes a 
leader in important business enterprises. 
Hierefore, b) reason of the fact that Mr. 
Martin has attained worth) prestige as a 
business man, and also because he was one 
of the patriotic suns of the North who went 
forth on many a hard fought battlefield to 
defend the flag in the days of the Rebellion, 
and also because of hi- life of honor, it is 
eminently fitting that he he given just rep- 
resentation in a work of the province a- 
signed ti i the one at hand. 

B. E. Martin was horn in what was for 
merly Estillville, now Gate City, Virginia, 
February 27, 1845, cne son "'" J"hn S. Mar 
tin, also a native of Virginia and the repre- 
sentative of a fine old Southern family. The 
father of the subject was Clerk of the Court 
in Ins home county for a period of twenty- 
four years, lie moved to Illinois in 1S40 
and entered govemmenl laud near Alma, the 
land that Alma now stands on. lie laid out 
\lma and there went into the 
mercantile business, in which he rem 
until the breaking 1 ml 1 f the ( 'ivil war. I le 
died in that town in [866. He was a man 
of unusual business ability and became well 
known in his community. The mother of 
ubject was Nancy Brownlow, a native 
of Virginia. She dide shortly after she 
un <\ ed to Illinois. Shi 1 nembered as a 
woman of gracious personality. Seven chil 
dren were horn to the parents ,,f our subject, 
four - ee daughters, named in 1 >i 

der of birth as follows: Eliza, deceased ; Mrs. 



Nancy Bradford, of Greenville, Illinois. 
Emily, deceased; Robert; Mrs. Kate Ben- 
nett, of Greenville, Illinois: Thompson G., 
of Salem: B. E., our subject, being the 
youngest. T he father of these children was 
married three times, his first wife being Ma 
linda Morrison, of Estillville, Virginia, to 
whom three children were born, two dying 
m infancy, the one surviving becoming Col. 
James S. Martin, now deceased, who lived 
to be eighty years of age, a sketch of whom 
appears elsewhere in this volume. The sec- 
ond wife was the mother of the subject of 
this sketch; the third wife was Jane See, to 
whom one child was horn, who died in the 
Philippine Islands. 

B. ]•'.. Martin. Sr.. was reared in Alma. 
this state, remaining there until he was six 
teen years of age, attending the local sch< 11 >] 
When 1 inly sixteen years 1 'Id he o tuld ni >1 1 e 
press the patriotic feeling that prompted him 
to shoulder arms in defense of the nation's 
integrity, consequently on July 25, [86l, he 
enlisted in the fortieth Illinois Volunteer In- 
fantry. He was in many skirmishes and en 
gagements, having fought in the great bat 
tie of Shiloh, where his regiment losl two 
hundred and forty-seven men in the two 
days' fight, and he was in several small en 
gagements as they advanced on Corinth. 
Mi- brother, Thomas <",.. was in every en- 

gemenl and skirmish in which this r< 
menl was involved, never being sick a clay, 

1 never missing a roll call. He enlisted 
in 1861 and at the expiration of his term of 
three years re-enlisted as a veteran and 
served until the close of the war. < >uv sub- 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



31 



ject had three brothers and one half-brother 
in the army. 

After his career in the army Mr. Martin 
went into the drug business at Greenville, 
Illinois. He later went to Olathe, Johnson 
county, Kansas, where he engaged in the 
same line of business from 1867 to 1869; 
then he returned to Marion county, Illinois, 
and resumed the drug business here, in 
which he remained a short time. Selling 
out his stock of drugs, he began selling 
agricultural implements, adding the lumber 
business in connection with his brother. He 
made a success of all the lines in his vari- 
ous locations. In 1877 he established his 
present business, that of wholesale seeds, in 
which he has quite an extensive trade, hav- 
ing become known as the leading seed man 
in this locality, consequently his trade ex- 
tends to all parts of the country. He uses 
the most modern and highly improved ma- 
chinery for cleaning seeds. 

Our subject was united in marriage in 
November, 1866, to Florida Cunningham, 
who was born and reared in Salem, the 
daughter of John Cunningham, then a mer- 
chant of Salem. He was a man of honest 
principle and influence in his community. 

Eight children have been born to the sub- 
ject and wife, one of whom died in infancy, 
the others are now living in 1908. They 
are: Man-, the wife of Charles T. Austin, 
of Indianapolis; B. E., Jr., who is engaged 
in the general mercantile business in Salem ; 
Bertha is the wife of John Gibson, living in 
Manila, Philippine Islands; Nancy is living 
in Salem; John C. is cashier of the Salem 
National Bank : Edith and Gena. 



The subject has achieved success in an 
eminent degree owing to his well directed 
energy and honesty and persistency. He is 
a stockholder and director of the Salem Na- 
itonal Bank. He owns a modern, comfort- 
able and nicely furnished residence. 

Mr. Martin has served as Supervisor of 
Salem township. He discharged the duties 
of this office with his usual business alacrity 
and foresight. He is a Democrat and has 
always been active in politics. In his fra- 
ternal relations he affiliates with the Ma- 
sons. He also belongs to the Grand Army 
of the Republic, and is a member of the 
Methodist Episcopal church, also the Gid- 
eons. He is an honorary member of the 
Woodmen, and he is well and favorably 
known in lodge circles, business life and 
social relations, being regarded as one of 
the most trustworthy and substantial citi- 
zens of Salem and Marion county. 

Before closing this review it would not be 
amiss to quote the following paragraph 
which appeared in a Salem paper some time 
since under the caption, "A Remarkable 
Record" : 

"There resides in this city four brothers 
who have a record which is remarkable and 
doubtless without a parallel among their 
fellow countrymen. They were all soldiers 
in the Civil war; two enlisting in the Forti- 
eth Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry, in 
1 86 1, and the other two in the One Hundred 
and Eleventh Regiment of this state in 1862. 
They participated in every battle in which 
their respective regiments were engaged, 
were never in a hospital, and none of them 
ever received the slightest wound, notwith- 



CIOGRAPHICAL \ \ I > REMINISCENT IIIMoky OF 



standing thej were in the thickest of fights 

where thousands were slain or wounded. \t 

battle of Shiloh nearly three hundred 

of the Fortieth Regiment were killed or 

wounded, but 'Tom' and 'Ben' were ami 

those who came out without a scratch. 

These four brothers with the remarkable 

ord are James S.. Thomas, Robert and 

Benjamin E. Martin, honorable, substantial 

if Salem." 



HON. (II VRLES E. HULL. 

i >ne of the notable men of his day and 
generation, who has gained success and rec- 
ognition for himself and at the same time 
honored his count) and state by distin- 
guished services in important trusts, is 

ii. Charles E. Hull, of Salem, who 
holds worthy prestige among the leading 
business men of Southern Illinois. Distinct- 
ively a man of affairs whose broad and liber- 
al id< ■ imand respect, he has long filled a 
conspicuous place in the public eye. and as 
a leader in many important civic enterprises 

well as a notable figure in the political 
arena of his day, he has contributed much 
to the welfare of his fellow men and at- 

ied distinction in a field of endeavor 
where sound erudition, mature judgment 

] talents of a high order are required, 
^.side from his honorable standing in pri- 
vate and public life, there is further pro 
priet'y in according him representation in 
the work, for he is a native son of Marion 



county, which has been the scene of the 
greater part of Ins life's earnest labors, 
home being in the beautiful and at tractive 
little city of Salem, where he it at present 
the head of a large and important busin< 

ent( ind where he also commands the 

esteem and confidence of all classes and con- 
ditii 'ii- i >f the populace. 

Mr. Hull belongs to an old and highl) 
cMii in..] Family that figured in the early 
history of Kentucky, to which state his 

nt. John Hull, emigrat 
from New Jersey in [788. Here Samuel 
Hull was born in [806 Vbout the year 1815 
the I lulls dispo ed 1 1 theii intei e > - in the 
South and migrated to Illinois, settling at 
Grand Prairie, Clinton county, where John 
Hull died in 1833. Before his death he sent 
his son, Samuel, into what is now the county 
Marion to a place near the site of Wal- 
nut Hill, where he. in 1823, at the age of 
seventeen, attended the first school ever 
taught in the county. At this time Marion 
was created from Jefferson county and the 
young man remained here, marrying in [83] 
Lucy, the daughter of Mark Tully. the 
founder of Salem. He was made Recorder 
in [833, which office he held until 1837, 
when he was made Sheriff, filling- the latter 
position by successive re-elections six terms, 
the in ost of the time without opposition. 
Later in 1849 he was further honored by 
being elected County Judge, this being un- 
der the old law which provided for two As- 
sociate Judges, but Mr. Hull's knowledge of 
law together with his fitness for the position 
enabled him to discharge his judicial func- 





£- <%^^-JLJl_ 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



33 



tidiis without much assistance from the hon- 
orable gentleman who occupied the bench 
with him. He proved an able and judicious 
judge, and during his incumbency of four 
years transacted a great deal of business and 
rendered a number of important decisions. 
but few of which suffered reversal at the 
hands of higher tribunals. Shortly after re- 
tiring from the bench he was appointed by 
President Pierce postmaster of Salem, and 
four years later he was reappointed by 
President Buchanan, holding the position 
during the latter's administration, and in 
this, as in the other offices with which he 
was honored, proving a capable and popu- 
lar public servant. 

Samuel Hull was a pronounced Demo- 
crat and influential member of the party un- 
till the breaking out of the Rebellion, when 
lie became a Republican and a great admirer 
of President Lincoln, whom he supported in 
the election of i860, and for whom he ever 
afterward entertained feeling of the most 
profound regard. He was a prominent fig- 
ure in the affairs of Marion county for over 
eighty years, during which period he be- 
came widely and favorably known, 
and his influence was always on the side of 
right as he saw and understood the right. 
During his later years he lived a life of hon- 
orable retirement at his beautiful rural home 
near Salem, having purchased the land 
Fr< mi the Government shortly after coming 
to Marion county, building with his own 
hands in 1831 a double log house, which still 
Stands — the oldest building in Marion 
county. This sterling citizen and faithful 
3 



official lived to a good purpose and his mem- 
ory is cherished as a sacred heritage not 
only by his immediate famriy and friends, 
but by the entire community, all with whom 
he was accustomed to mingle, feeling his 
death as a personal loss. He reached a 
ripe and contented old age and it is a fact 
worthy of note that he and his faithful wife 
and helpmeet died the same night after a 
mutually happy and prosperous wedded ex- 
perience of fifty-nine years. Samuel Hull 
and wife were held in high esteem by near- 
ly every citizen of Marion county, their cir- 
cle of friends and acquaintances being large 
and their names familiar sounds in almost 
every household in both city and country. 
He served in the Black Hawk war. besides 
participating 'in many other exciting strug- 
gles during the pioneer period, as he was a 
leader among his fellow men and always 
stood for law and order, sometimes, too, at 
his personal risk. The land which he en- 
tered and improved and on which he spent 
the greater part of his life is now owned by 
his grandson, Charles E. Hull. This piece 
of land, now within the city limits of Sa- 
lem, has the unique distinction of the few- 
est transfers, it having been transferred by 
purchase from Samuel direct to Charles. 

Erasmus Hull, son of the aforementioned 
Samuel and father of the subject of this 
sketch, was born August 31, 1832, in Ma- 
rion county, Illinois, and spent his entire 
life near the place of his birth, having for 
many years been identified with the town 
of Salem, and a leader in its business and 
financial interests. He was a merchant and 



34 



i:ioi,K.\i'|ll( Al. \\n REMINISCENT lllsloi;\ m 



banker and in addition to achieving marked 
success in thosi i apacities he was also an 
enterprising man of affairs, public spirited 
in all the term implies and wielded a strong 
influence in behalf of all measures and 
movements having for their object the ma- 
terial advancement of the community and 
the social and moral welfare of the people. 
A leading spirit in the organization of the 
Salem Hank, in 1869, and one of the orig- 
inal stockholders, he was a member of the 

id of directors from that time until his 
death, and to his mature judgment, — mid 
business ability and familiarity with finan- 
cial matter- were largely due the continued 

iwth and signal success of the institu- 
tion, lie was also interested in the Ma- 
rion Count) Loan and Trusl Company, the 
predecessor of the hank, and always kept in 

se touch with the finances of the state 
and nation as well as with general business 
affairs, on all of which he was well in- 
formed and on no1 a few was considered an 
authority. 

Mr. I lull was the firsl Supervisor of Sa- 
lem township, also Chairman of the County 
Board for a number of years, besides serv- 
tin* as School Director. In 
these different capacities he discharged his 
official duties faithfully and effectively, tak- 
ing a leading part in i mal matters 
and using his influence in every laudable 
way to promote the prosperity of the com- 
munity and the happiness of the people. In 
addition to his mercantile and financial bust 
he was quite prominently interested in 
manufacture of flour and lumber, be 



ginning to operate a mill in [853, and con- 
tinuing the business with encouraging suc- 
cess as long as he lived. He also conducted 
a large packing house in Salem before the 
days of trusts and combines and built up an 
important and far-reaching industry, buying 
nearly all the hogs in the adjacent country 
i shipping his meat- to the leading mar- 
kets, where the} commanded good prices, 
lie was a man of brain and of practical 
ideas, combined with solid judgment, wise 
foresight and he seldom failed in any of his 
undertakings. In politics he was an un- 
swerving Democrat, and an influential 
worker for the success of his party and its 
candidates, though not a partisan in the 
sense of aspiring for office. lie discharged 

his duties of citizenship in the spirit becom- 
ing tin' [>n >gressi\ e and bn iad minded Amer- 
ican of the day in which he lived, while the 
deep interest he manifested in his own lo- 
cality made him a leader in all laudable en- 
terprises for its advancement. I lis career, 
which was strenuous, eminently honorable 
and fraught with great good to his fellow 
men and to the world, terminated with his 
lamented death on the t6th day of June. 
[896, in hi- sixty-fourth year: his taking 
off. like that of his father, being keenly felt 
and widely mourned in the town where he 
had SO long and creditablv lived, and where 
bis success had been achie\ ed. 

Before her marriage Mrs. Erasmus Hull 
was Die) f'inley. Her father. Rev. William 
Finley, a well known and remarkably suc- 
cessful minister of the Cumberland Presby- 
terian church, came to Marion county in an 



RICHLAND. CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



35 



early day and for many years labored zeal- 
ously to disseminate the truths of religion 
among the people and win souls to the 
higher life. During the years of his activ- 
ity, he traveled extensively throughout 
Southern Illinois, preaching and organizing 
churches, and it is said that the majority of 
Cumberland Presbyterian societies in the 
central and southern portions of the state 
were established by him, while others and 
weak congregations were strengthened and 
placed upon solid footing through his ef- 
forts. Mrs. Hull bore her husband three 
children and departed this life on May 16, 
[903, beloved and respected by all with 
whom she came in contact. Of her family 
one of the children died in infancy, Mrs. 
Mary Bradford being the second in order 
of birth, and Charles E. Hull, of Salem, the 
subject of this review, the youngest of the 
number. 

On his father's maternal side the subject 
dates his family history to the earliest set- 
tlement of Illinois, his great-grandfather, 
Mark Tully. migrating to what is now Ma- 
rion county, while the feet of savages still 
pressed the soil and settling near the site of 
Salem, where there was no vestage of civili- 
zation within a radius of eight or ten miles, 
his rude cabin having been the first human 
habitation where the thriving seat of justice 
now stands. He moved here from Indiana 
and entered a tract of land from which in 
due time he cleared and developed a farm, 
and later when the county of Marion was set 
off and organized, he donated ground for 
the seat of justice, which was surveyed and 



platted in 1823, and to which he gave the 
name of Salem. In honor of the town in 
the Hoosier state from which he came. He 
took an active part in the county organiza- 
tion, was its first Sheriff and held a number 
of offices from time to time, and to him be- 
longs the credit of keeping the first tavern 
in Salem, which appears to have been quite 
well patronized, while the town was being 
settled and for eighty years thereafter, being 
kept after his death by a daughter. He also 
erected a mill, the first in Salem, which was 
highly prized by the pioneers for many 
miles around, although a primitive affair 
equipped with the simplest kind of machin- 
ery, and originally operated by means of a 
sweep. Later it was somewhat improved 
and operated by horses or oxen in what was 
called a tread, but after the lapse of several 
years the original structure was remodeled, 
a large addition built, and new and im- 
proved machinery installed, and steam 
power introduced, this being the first mill in 
the county to be run by steam. Mr. Tully 
was a true type of the sturdy, strong willed 
pioneer of his day. He was energetic, pub- 
lic-spirited, distinctively a man of affairs, 
and to him as much perhaps as to any other, 
is the town of Salem indebted for the im- 
petus which added so materially to its 
growth and prosperity. As a leader among 
the pioneers of his time, he did a work that 
few could accomplish and wielded an influ- 
ence which had a decided effect in establish- 
ing the social status of the community upon 
a high moral plane. After a long and useful 
career he was called from the scenes of his 



36 



BIOGRAPHICAL \M> REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



earthly struggles and triumphs in the yeai 
1867, leaving a number of descendants, 
some of whom still live in Marion county, 
and are among the substantial and respected 
people of the communities in which they re- 
sick-. 

Hon. Charles E. Hull was born Novem- 
ber 7, [862, in Salem, and spent his early 
years like the majority of town lads, assist- 
ing his parents where his services were re- 
quired, ami during certain months pursuing 
his studies in the public schools. While a 

mere child, he evinced a derided taste for 
books and his progress in his studies was so 
rapid that he completed the high school 
course and was graduated at the early age 
of fourteen, standing among the best stu- 
dents m the class of [877. Actuated by a 

laudable desire t" add t<> his scholastic 
knowledge he subsequently entered the 
Southern Illinois Normal University, at 
Carbondale, where he took the full classical 
course, which he finished in three years, one 
year less than the prescribed time, graduat 
ing in [880 with the class honors. 

Shortly after receiving his degree from 
the above institution Mr. I lull engaged in 
merchandising at Salem, continued to the 
present time a husiness established by Sam- 
uel and Erasmus Hull, in [853, and since 
that time his life has been very closely iden- 
tified with the husiness interests and general 
prosperity of the town, in addition to which 
be has conducted several mercantile estab- 
il <ither points and become a 
prominent figure in the public life of Marion 



county, and the state at large. I'oSsessing 
sound s t -nse, well balanced judgment, and a 
natural aptitude for business, bis mercantile 
experience soon passed the experimental 
stage and within a comparatively brief pe- 
riod he limit up a large and lucrative patron- 
age, and became one of the best known and 
ni'isi popular merchants of the town. Ad- 
vancing with rapid Strides and outstripping 
all of his competitors, he was soon induced 
to project his business enterprises into other 
parts, accordingly, as already indicated, he 
established -tore- in various town- and vil- 
lages of the county, and at one time had 
five of these establishments in successful op- 
eration in addition to his large general 
mercantile house in Salem, all of which 

proved successful and in due season made 

him one of the financially solid and reliable 
men of Marion county. After some years 
Ik' closed out two of his stores hut he still 
retains the other three, two in Salem and 
one 111 ECinmundy, and enjoy,-, a well merited 
reputation as one ><i the most enterprising 
and successful business men in the southern 

part 1 if the state 

In addition to his large mercantile inter- 
ests ,\[r. Mull is connected with other im- 
portant business enterprises, having been a 
director of the Salem hank since [895, and 
cashier of the institution during the years 
1 on' 7, and in 1889 he organized the Salem 
( 1 ramerv. which he operated for a period of 
fifteen years, during which time he did an 
extensive and lucrative business, using as 
high as twenty thousand pounds of milk per 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



37 



day. and making a brand of butter for which 
there was always a great demand. By rea- 
son of indifference on the part of the farm- 
ers in the matter of supplying milk, Mr. 
Hull disposed of the creamery at the expira- 
tion of the period indicated, the better to de- 
vote his attention to his other interests, 
which have become important and far reach- 
ing in their influence, adding much to the 
material prosperity of the city and to his 
fame as a leading spirit in business circles. 
Among the various enterprises of which he 
is the head, is the Salem Brick Mill, which, 
under the firm name of Hull & Draper, has 
become one of the successful industrial con- 
cerns of the place, also the Hull Telephone 
System, established in 1898, and of which 
he is sole proprietor. This important and 
much valued enterprise, one of the best of 
the kind in Illinois, extends to all parts of 
Marion county, connecting all the towns and 
villages and numerous private residences, 
besides having connection in the adjoining 
counties, thus bringing Salem in close touch 
with all the leading cities of the state and 
nation, and proving of inestimable value to 
the people as well as to the business interests 
of the various points on the line. Under the 
personal management of Mr. Hull, who has 
operated the plant ever since it was estab- 
lished, the system has been brought to a 
degree of efficiency second to no other. 

Since the year 1894, Mr. Hull has owned 
The Salem Herald Advocate, the oldest 
newspaper in Marion county, the history of 
which dates from 1853. The paper origin- 
ally was established by John \Y.- Merritt, 



and since the above year has been the best 
patronized and most successful sheet in Ma- 
rion county, and one of the most influential 
in Southern Illinois, being the official organ 
of the local Democracy, and a power in the 
political affairs of this part of the state. Un- 
der the management of Mr. Hull it has 
steadily grown in public favor, and now has 
a large and continually increasing subscrip- 
tion list, a liberal advertising patronage, and 
with an office well equipped with the latest 
machinery and devices used in the art pre- 
servative, and its columns teeming with the 
news of the day as well as with able discus- 
sinus of the leading questions and issues 
upon which men and parties are divided, it 
promises to continue in the future as it has 
been in the past, a strong influence in politi- 
cal affairs and a power in moulding and di- 
recting opinion on matters of general in- 
terest to the people. 

Aside from the various enterprises enu- 
merated, Mr. Hull for a number of years 
was quite extensively interested in the San- 
doval Coal and Mining Company, of which 
he was general manager until disposing of 
his shares in the concern, and he is now and 
long has been one of the largest holders of 
real estate in Marion county, being an en- 
terprising and up-to-date agriculturist. In 
the midst of his numerous and pressing du- 
ties, he finds time to devote to other than 
his individual affairs, being interested in- the 
community and its advancement and in all 
worthy enterprises for the good of his fel- 
low men. Ever since arriving at the years 
of manhood he has been a leading factor in 



38 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORV OF 



public matter-, and in a material way has 
been untiring in his efforts co promote the 
prosperity of Salem and Marion county, tak 
ing an active interest in all movements and 
measures with this object in view besides in- 
augurating and carrying to successful issue 
many enterprises which have tended greatly 
I" the general welfare of the O immunity. In 
political matters and kindred subjects he has 
not only been interested but has risen to the 
position of leader. He has been a life-long 
Democrat, and since his twenty-fust year 
has exercised a strong influence in the polit- 
ical affairs of Marion county, and became 
widely and favorably known in party circles 
throughout the state, a prominent figure in 
local, district and state conventions, he has 
borne a leading part in making platforms, 
formulating policies; as a campaigner, he is 
a judicious adviser in the councils of his 
party, a successful worker in the ranks, and 
to him as much if not more than to any 
other man in Marion entity, is the party in- 
debted for it- success in a number id* ani- 
mated and exciting political contests. 

In [896 Mr. Hull was elected to repre- 
sent the Forty-second Senatorial District, 
composed of the counties of Clay, Washing- 
ton, Marion and Clinton, in the I'pper 
House of lb,- State Legislature, in the cam- 
paign of which memorable year he ran far in 
advance in hi- home town of any other can- 
didate on the Democratic ticket, receiving 
more votes than were polled for William 
Jennings Bryan, the popular head of the na- 
tional ticket, and the idol of Democracy. 
Mr. Hull'- career in the General Assembly 



wa- eminently honorable, and he took high 

rank a- an industrious and useful member, 
who spared no effort in behalf of his con- 
stituents, beside- laboring earnestly and 
faithfully for the general good of bis state. 
In [904 he was renominated by his party, 
and in the ensuing election his Republican 
competitor withdrew from the race, it being 
evident that he would be overwhelmingly de- 
feated. The district that year was com- 
posed of the counties of Marion, Clay, Clin- 
ton and Effingham. In the senate he be- 
came the minority leader, and in addition 
to serving on a number of important com 
mittees, took an active part in the general 
deliberation- of the chamber, participating 
in the discussions and debates, and to him 
belongs the credit of leading in the light for 
a direct primary, also of being the only mi- 
nority leader who ever succeeded in holding 
his party together on minority legislation. 
Mr. Hull's senatorial experience is replete 
with duty ably and faithfully performed, 
and such was the interest he manifested for 
his district that he won the confidence and 
good will of the people irrespective of po- 
litical alignment, all of whom speak in 
praise of his honorable course and the broad 
enlightenment spirit which he displayed 
throughout bis legislative career. As already 
stated lie is a familiar figure in the conven- 
tion- of his party, both local ami state, and 
for a period of twenty-eight years he has 
not missed attending a Democratic nati 

com entii >n. 

for several years Mr. Hull owned and 
occupied the place where Mr. Bryan was 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



39 



born, but after the campaign of 1896 he sold 
it to Mr. Bryan, between whom and himself 
the warmest friendship has ever prevailed. 
The two were classmates when the}- at- 
tended high school, since which time they 
have labored for each other's interests, and 
as stated above, their attachment is stronger 
and more enduring than the ordinary ties 
by which friends are bound together. Mr. 
Hull has served the people of his city as 
School Director, and for a period of two 
years he was president of the Inter-State In- 
dependent Telephone Association, besides 
being for a number of years a member of 
the executive committee. He also served for 
a series of years on the executive commit- 
tee for the operators on the scale of agree- 
ment, with the United Mine Workers of 
America, a position of great responsibility 
and delicacy, as is indicated by the fact of 
his having devoted one hundred and twelve 
days in one year to the settlement of wage 
scales and of disputes between the contend- 
ing parties, besides having been called upon 
repeatedly to adjust differences and har- 
monize conflicting interests, which arose 
from time to time, between the two organi- 
zations. 

The domestic chapter in the life of Mr. 
Hull dates from May 10, 1883, when he 
was happily married to Miss Lulu Ham- 
mond, the accomplished and popular daugh- 
ter of Hon. J. E. W. Hammond, the 
latter a prominent merchant and influential 
politician of Marion county, Illinois, who 
served in the Legislature, on the County 
Board of Supervisors, and for many years 



was one of the public spirited men and rep- 
resentative citizens of Salem. On her 
mother's side Mrs. Hull traces to the Lov- 
ells and Hensleys, who were among the 
earliest settlers of Marion county, as is men- 
tioned elsewhere in this volume. Senator 
Hull's beautiful and attractive home on 
North Broadway, the finest and most de- 
sirable private dwelling in the city, is 
brightened and rendered doubly attractive 
by the presence of two intelligent and in- 
teresting daughters, namely : Lovell, born 
January 8, 1888, and Louise, whose birth 
occurred on the 31st day of May, 1897, 
these with their parents constituting a happy 
and almost ideal domestic circle. 

Senator Hull's fraternal association rep- 
resents the Benevolent and Protective Order 
of Elks', the Knights of Pythias, Inde- 
pendent Order of Red Men, and the Modern 
Woodmen, in all of which he has been an 
active and influential worker, besides being 
honored with important official positions 
from time to time. In the midst of his 
many strenuous duties as a business man 
and public servant, the Senator has not neg- 
lected the higher obligations which man 
owes to his Maker, nor been unmindful of 
the claims of the Christian religion — to 
which deep and absorbing subject he has 
devoted much profound study and investi- 
gation, and in the light of which he has 
been led into the straight and narrow way 
which leads to a higher state of being here, 
and to eternal felicity beyond death's mys- 
tic stream. Subscribing to no human 
creeds or man-made doctrines, he takes the 



40 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



Holy Scriptures alone for his rule of faith 
and practice, and as an humble and consist- 
ent member of the Christian, or Disciple, 
church, demonstrates by his daily life the 
beauty and value of the faith which he pro- 
Mr has been identified with the re- 
ligious body since his young manhood, and 
for more than twenty years has been the able 
and popular superintendent of the Sunday 
ides tilling other official stations. 
Mrs. Hull is also a faithful and devout 
Christian, an active member of the church, 
and deeply interested in all lines of good 
work under the auspices ofthesame. Since 
her fourteenth year she has been the accom- 
plished organisl of the congregation in Sa- 
lem, as well as an efficient and enthusiastic 

i her in the Sunday school. Senator Hull 
is a liberal contributor to benevolent enter- 
prises, ami it was through bis initiation and 
influence that the present handsome temple 
of worship used by the Christian church, 
was erected, his contributions to the build- 
ing fund being twenty-five dollars for even- 
one hundred dollars contributed by the con- 
gregation. In addition i, his munificence 
already noted, the Senator has given largely 
to various worth) objects of which the 

irld knows nothing, in this waj exempli- 
fying the Spirit of the Master, by not letting 
the lefl hand know what the right hand 
doeth, or in other words, doing good 
in secrel in the name of the Father who 
hath promised to reward such actions 
■ ipenly. 

Senator Hull is a splendid specimen of 
well rounded, symmetrically developed, vi- 



rile manhood, with a commanding presence 
and a strong personality, being six feet in 
height, weighing two hundred and thirty- 
four pounds, and moving among his fellows 
as one bom to leadership. He is a notice- 
able figure in any crowd or assemblage, and 
never fails to attract attention, not only by 
his powerful physique, but by the amiable 
qualities of mind and heart, which show in 
his face, and always make his presence pleas 
ing to all beholders. He has directed his 
life along lines which could not fail to ef- 
fect favorably the physical as well as the 
mental man. having from his youth been 
singularly free from thoughts which lower 
and degrade self-respect, and from those in- 
siduous habits which pollute the body and 
debase the soul, ami which today are prov- 
ing the destruction of so many young men 
of whom better things have been expected. 
Mr. Hull is a total abstainer in all the term 
implies, having never tasted, much less taken 
a drink of any kind of intoxicants, nor used 
tobacco in any of its forms; neither has he 
ever taken the name of ( lod in vain. He is 
pleasing and companionable, a favorite in 
the social circle, and a hale and hearty spirit, 
whose presence inspires good humor, and 
who believes in legitimate sports ami pas- 
times and in the idea that fret and worn- 
are among the greatest enemies of happi- 
ness. With duties that would crush the ordi- 
nary man. be has his labors so systematized 
that he experiences little or no inconveni- 
ence in doin- them. He believes in rest and 
recreation and is an advocate of vacations, 
and he invariably takes one every summer, 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



41 



but not in the manner that many do, by 
locking his office and hieing away to the 
seaside, lake or forest, to spend the season 
in tiresome sports. His vacations, which 
are always enjoyable, are spent in the hay- 
field, where he finds the recreation condu- 
cive to good health and a contented mind. 

I Vrsonally Mr. Hull is a gentleman of 
unblemished reputation, and the strictest in- 
tegrity and his private character and im- 
portant trusts have always been above re- 
proach. He is a vigorous as well as an 
independent thinker, a wide reader, and he 
has the courage of his convictions upon all 
subjects which he investigates. He is also 
strikingly original and fearless, prosecutes 
his researches after his own peculiar fash- 
ion, and cares little for conventionalism or 
fi >r the sanctity attaching to person or place 
by reason of artificial distinction, tradition 
or the accident of birth. He is essentially 
cosmopolitan in his ideas, a man of the peo- 
ple in all the term implies, and in the best 
sense of the word a representative type of 
that strong American manhood, which 
commands and retains respect by reason of 
inherent merit, sound sense and correct con- 
duct. He has so impressed his individuality 
upon his community as to win the confidence 
and esteem of his fellow-citizens and be- 
come a strong and influential power in lead- 
ing them to high and noble things. 
Measured by the accepted standard of ex- 
cellence, his career, though strenuous, has 
been eminently honorable and useful, and 
his life fraught with great good to his fel- 
lows and to the world. 



WILLIAM H. DILLMAX. 

William H. Dillman, the well known 
president of the Clay County State Bank at 
Louisville, Illinois, was born in Oskaloosa 
township, on the family homestead, where 
he grew to manhood. The date of his birth 
was July 14, 1867. He is the son of Louis 
Dillman, a native of Kentucky, who came 
to Illinois when fourteen years old and set- 
tled in Oskaloosa township on a farm, 
where he lived for many years. He is now 
retired, making his home in Louisville. He 
was formerly president of the State Bank 
and is well known in the county as a man 
of much ability. Vachel Dillman, grand- 
father of the subject, was also a native of 
Kentucky, who came to this state at an 
early day and developed a good farm. The 
subject's mother was Harriett B. Smith. » 
whose people were natives of Tennessee, 
where she was born. She is still living. 
Eleven children were born to the subject's 
parents, namely: Dr. Asa E.. of Steuben, 
Wisconsin : Mrs. Mary E. Graham, of Os- 
kaloosa township; Mrs. Sarah E. Burdick, 
of Oskaloosa township; William H., our 
subject; Dr. J. V., at Ingraham, Illinois: 
Lillie M., now deceased; Mrs. Ida Steeley, 
cf Louisville, this county; Mrs. Delia Mont- 
gomery, also of Louisville; Dora, deceased: 
Polly Ann, deceased ; Henry, deceased. 

William H. Dillman was united in mar- 
riage in 1898 to Cora P. Brown, the refined 
end accomplished daughter of P. P. Brown. 
of Louisville, Illinois, and two children have 
been born to this union, namely: Howard B. 



-]-' 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCEN1 HISTORY OF 



and Robert \ '.. ten and five years old re- 
spectively at this writing, 1908, both bright 
and interesting lads. 

Mr. Dillman acquired a good common 
school education, and after spending three 
years at the State Normal, at the Union 
Christian College of Merom, Indiana, and 
at the Orchard City College at Flora, Illi- 
nois, where he graduated with honors, Mr. 
Dillman entered the law office of Hagle <S: 
Shriner in that city, and in [896 was ad- 
mitted to the bar, since which time he has 
been ranked as one of the leading lawyer- ol 
Clay county, and has built up an excellent 
business, practicing in all the courts in this 
and adjoining counties with great success. 

When Judge Fanner, now one of the Su- 
preme Judges of the state of Illinois, was on 
the bench of this, the Forty-second Senato- 
rial District, he -elected Mr. Dillman as th 
Master in Chancery of this county. Later 
on, upon the death of William 11. Hudelson, 
Mr. Dillman, by the terms of the will, was 
made the executor, the will conveying to 
him in trust for twenty years money and 
property representing over two hundred 
thousand dollars. X" better testimony of 
confidence in a man's integrity ha- ever 

en paid t" a citizen of this county. Mr. 
Dillman was Master in Chancery tor six- 
sear-. The directors of the ('lay County 
Siau- Bank elected him president of that 
institution in the summer of 1008. 

IU- wa- the Democratic nominee for Rep- 

entative from this district in 1008. hut 
was defeated. I te has always b anch 

Democrat and has taken an active part in 



his county's affairs. Fraternally he is a 

member of the Knights of Pythias, the In- 
dependent Order of Odd Fellows, the Home 
Circle. Both Mr. and Mrs. Dillman are 
members of the Methodist Episcopal church. 
Mr. Dillman. busy with the management 
of the hank, which he gives the most care- 
ful attention and which is regarded as one 
of the solidest hanks of the southern part 
c if the state, finds insufficient time u 1 carry 1 >n 
his law practice, although it is not entirely 
abandoned. Mr. Dillman throughout his ca- 
reer has been very active, progressive and de- 
termined, carrying Eorward in successful 
completion whatever he has undertaken in a 
business way. Mr. Dillman attributes a 
very large measure of his success to his 
many and faithful friends. He is clearly 
entitled to be classed among the leading citi- 
zens of Clay county — a man whose strong 
individuality is the strength of integrity, vir- 
tue and deep human sympathy and im one 
has more friends than he throughout the 
district. 



II. T. PACE. 



A happy combination "i" characteristics is 
possessed by the honorable gentleman 
whom the biographer now essays to write. 
for he ha- shown during his long residence 
in Salem. Marion county. Illinois, that he is 
;i man of rare business acumen, foresight and 
sagacity, at the same time possessing lauda- 
ble trait- of character such a- integrity, in- 
dustry, sobriety and kindliness; these, com- 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



43 



bined with his public spirit and model home 
life, have resulted in winning for Mr. Pace 
the unqualified esteem of all who know him. 

H. T. Pace was born one and one-half 
miles south of Salem on a farm, February 
3, 1850, and, believing that better opportu- 
nities awaited him right here at home, he 
early decided to cast his lot with his own 
people rather than seek uncertain success in 
other fields, and. judging from the pro- 
nounced success which has attended his sub- 
sequent efforts, one must conclude that he 
made a wise decision. 

The subject's father was George W. Pace, 
a native of Kentucky, who came to Jefferson 
county, Illinois, when a young man, but 
soon after locating here he moved to Marion 
county, where he engaged in farming, later 
in the furniture business, having spent many 
years in this ; he also learned the tailor's 
trade and conducted a tailor shop for a time 
soon after coming here. He was a man of 
considerable force and influence, honest, 
hard working and hospitable, who spared no 
pains in rearing his family in the best pos- 
sible manner, always holding out high ideals 
and lofty aims. He was noted as a great 
story teller as well as a kindly, neighborly 
man. He was born December 18, 1806, and 
passed to his rest June 1, 1867. He was one 
of the oldest pioneers of Marion county, be- 
ing one of the best known and most beloved 
men in the county and familiarly called "Un- 
cle George." 

The mother of the subject, whose birth oc- 
curred on the same day of the month as that 
of her husband, December 18th, in the year 



1808, was known in her maidenhood as Ta- 
bithia J. Rogers, a native of Tennessee, the 
representative of a fine old Southern fam- 
ily, and she "crossed over the mystic river" 
to join her worthy life companion on the 
other shore February 26, 1881, at the age 
of seventy-three years, after closing a serene 
and beautiful life of the noblest Christian at- 
tributes and wholesome influence. One of 
the most commendable traits in our subject 
was his devotion to his mother, with whom 
he lived until her death, joyfully administer- 
ing to her every want and sacrificing much 
in his own life that she might be comfortable 
and happy. Nine children were bom to the 
parents of the subject, only three of whom 
are living at this writing, 1908. The living 
are: O. H. Pace, of Mount Vernon, Illinois, 
at the age of sixty-eight years ; Mrs. O. E. 
Tryner, living at Long Beach, California, at 
the age of sixty years; H. T., our subject. 
The parents of the subject were married 
May 13, 1830. 

H. T. Pace remained under his parental 
roof-tree during the lifetime of his parents. 
He attended the common schools in Salem, 
where he diligently applied himself and re- 
ceived a good education. However, thirst- 
ing for more knowledge, he attended college 
at Jacksonville, Illinois, for a short time. The 
stage having allurements and he having nat- 
ural talents as a comedian, he traveled for 
three years with some of the best companies 
on the road as a black-face comedian, win- 
ning wide notoriety through this medium. 

Tiring of the stage, he went to Denver in 
j 880. where he clerked for a while in a jew- 



44 



BIOGRAPHK \l \\l> REMINISCEN1 HISTORY OF 



elry store, later worked as a Pullman con- 
ductor between Denver and Leadville over 
tlu- South Park Railroad. In iNS., Mr. Pace 
came back to Salem and has remained here 
ever since prospering in whatever he has un- 
dertaken. 

The harmonious domestic life of the sub 
ject dates from [884, when he was united 
in marriage with Alice II. Andrews, the ac- 
complished and popular daughter of Samuel 
Andrews, who sacrificed his life for his 
country, having 111.1 death in the Union lines 
while lighting in defense of the flag. At the 
time .'!' their marriage Mr. I 'are was -up 
posed t«. he en his death bed from a sudden 
and serious illness. The married life of this 
o iuple ha- been a most ideal one and has re- 
sulted in the birth of -even children, five of 
whom are living. Their name- follow: 
Claude S.. of Salem, engine Foreman at the 
cago & Eastern Illinois shops; Erne 
Jenella, Lynn Harvey. Ned R., Gladys D., 
Lowell died in infancy, as did also the last 
child, Mona. 

After his marriage Mr. Pace went into 
the piano business, which he has since con- 
ducted for twenty-five years, the greatest 
success attending his efforts, his house being 
known throughoul Marion county, and his 
trade extending many miles in every din 
tion, result of his skill in managing tin- 
line and his uniform fairness and courteous- 
to customers. Ili- piano parlor is one 
of the p 1 1 mlar business In >uses of Salem. Mr. 
a in idern and up ti 1 date line 1 if 
musical instruments, talking machines and 
similar g Is. 



Fraternally Mr. Pace is a member of the 
Masonic order, the Knights of Pythias, the 

W linen and the Eastern Star, being the 

W orthy Patron in the latter order. 

Mr. Pace is now the only member of this 
worth) family in Marion county, and he is 
one of the oldest native born re-ident- of 
Salem. Among hi- interesting collection of 
relic- and curios 1- an old clock which hi:, 
father and mother bought when they first 
w cut 1. 1 hi iusekeeping. 

In all the relation- of life our subject has 
been found worth) of the tiu-i imposed in 
him, being a man of rare business ability, 
force of character and possessing praise- 
worthy qualities of head and heart which 
make him popular with all whom he meets, 
and he 1- toda) regarded by all classes a- be- 
ing one of the staunchest, mosl uprighl an I 
representative citizens of Marion county. 



D. D. HAYNIE. 



For the high rank of her bench and bar 
Illinois has always been distinguished, and 
it is gratifying to note that in no section of 
the commonwealth has the standard been 
lowered in any epoch of its history. To the 
subject of tin- review, who is at the time of 
this writing. 1908, the popular and influen- 
tial Clerk of the Circuit Court at Salem. 
Marion county, we may refer with propriety 
and satisfaction as being one of the able and 

representative member- of the legal profes- 
sion of the -tate. lie prepared himself most 



RICHLAND, CLAY AXD MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



45 



carefully for the work of his exacting pro- 
fession and has ever been ambitious and 
self-reliant, gaining success and securing his 
technical training through his own deter- 
mination and well directed efforts. He not 
only stands high in his profession but is a 
potent factor in local politics, his advice 
being often relied upon in the selection of 
candidates for county offices and he has led 
such a career, one upon which not the 
shadow or suspicion of evil rests, that his 
o iunsel is often sought and heeded in im- 
portant movements in the county, with grati- 
fying results. 

D. D. Haynie was born in Marion county. 
Illinois, November 22, 1848. His father 
was William D. Haynie, a native of 
Norfolk, Virginia, where he was born 
August 29, 1798. He came with his mother 
in Winchester, Tennessee, when he was ten 
years old, and remained there until he 
reached young manhood. He was a soldier 
in the War of 1812, having performed gal- 
lant service in the same, after which he re- 
turned to Kentucky, settling near Hopkins- 
ville, where he married Elizabeth B. Frost, 
and where he lived for several years, finally 
in 1832 moving to Salem, Illinois, bringing 
three slaves with them, which they later lib- 
erated. They lived in Salem, developing 
the primitive conditions which they found, 
for many years, rearing eleven children, 
namely : Abner F., deceased, having died 
in 1850; General Isham N., who died in 
1868. having been adjutant general at the 
time of his death, formerly colonel of the 
Forty-eighth Illinois Volunteer Infantry; 



William M., died in 1855; Rebecca was the 
wife of James Marshall, who moved to 
Texas and died there about 1857; George 
W., quartermaster of the Forty-eighth Illi- 
nois Volunteer Regiment, who died in 1891, 
when seventy years old ; Mary and John B., 
both died in infancy ; Elizabeth is the widow 
of Hon. B. B. Smith, who was one of 
the first and best lawyers in southern Illi- 
nois, and who died in 1884, his widow now 
residing at Mount Vernon, Washington: 
Martha J., now deceased, was the wife of 
Dr. Thomas Williams, of Jacksonville, Flor- 
ida, dying in Philadelphia in 1906; Sarah 
C. is the wife of L. L. Adams, of Spokane, 
Washington; D. D., our subject, was the 
youngest of the family. 

Our subject made his home with his 
father until he died in 1870, the subject's 
mother surviving until 1884. They were 
people of excellent qualities of mind and 
heart, and spared no pains in giving their 
children every advantage possible, and the 
wholesome home influence in which they 
were reared is reflected in the characters of 
the subject and the other children. 

D. D. Haynie attended the common 
schools when a boy, making rapid progress. 
Being ambitious and thirsting for all the 
book learning possible, he entered the State 
Normal at Bloomington, Illinois, after a 
course in which he made an excellent record, 
he returned home and clerked, but believing, 
that his true life path lay along the higher 
lines of the legal profession, he begun the 
study of law and was admitted to the Salem 
bar in 1871. His success was instantaneous 



I" 



BIOGR VPHK U. \\n REM [NISCEN1 HIS km; \ I I] 



d he soon built up a good practice, llis 
unusual attributes soon attracted attention 
ami he \\a^ appointed clerk in the Pension 
\-i'iu\ located in Salem, which position he 
held with much credit foi a period of six 
years. He then devoted some of his time to 
farming with gratifying results, at the same 
time continuing his law practice which had 
b) this time been built up to a verj large 

li tice. lie has continued with great suc- 
cess ever since he first began practice in 
1SS5. During this time he has served his 
county and city in many official capacities, 
lie was twice elected presidenl of the City 
Board of Education, and afterward was a 
member of the same for two terms; during 
his connection with the same the educational 
interests of the citj were greatly strength- 
ened, lie was elected Police Magistrate in 
[904 and elected Circuit Clerk as a Repub- 
lican and is serving in this capacit) in 1908, 
making one of the lust clerks the court has 
ever had. In all his political and official 
career, not the least dissatisfaction has 
arisen over the manner in which he has 
handled the affairs entrusted to him, and he 
has by this consistent record gained a hosl 
of admiring friends throughout the county. 

Mr. I laynie's happy and harmonious do- 
mestic life dates from August -'". [875, 
when he was united in marriage with Emma 
I McMackin, the accomplished and cultured 
daughter of W. E. McMackin, who was 
lieutenant-colonel of (.rant's Twenty-first 
Illinois Regiment, and a well known i 
influential man in his o immunity. 

One bright and winsome daughter was 



born to the subject and wife, who was given 

the name of May I'".., and who is now the 

.He- ^if William \Y. Morrow, of Oklahoma 

City. The subject's wife was called t.. her 
rest Januar) 21, [878, and he was married 
the second time, this wife being in her 
maidenhood, Maggie Mobbitt. daughter of 
Joseph J. Bobbitt, who was a soldier in the 
Eighth Kentucky Regiment. She proved a 
worthy helpmeet and to this union the fol- 
lowing interesting children were In Mai : 
Edith M., now living in Spokane, Washing- 
ton; Donald C, of Salem, [llinois, is clerk 
for the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Rail- 
way Company. The subject's wife died in 
April 1890. The subject then married Rose 
M. Haley, the daughter of Rev. J. L. Haley, 
a well known Cumberland Presbyterian 
minister, the date of the wedding falling 
on July 14, 1891. Xo children have been 
born to this union which has been a most 
harmonious one. 

Fraternallj the subject has been a mem- 
ber of the Independent Order of < >dd Fel- 
lows for thirty-seven years, having occupied 
the chairs of the same, and he has been a- 
member of the Masonic Fraternity since 
1 879, a chapter member. 

In- subject in his political activity had 
occasion t<> become intimately acquainted 
with Governor Oglesby, (leu. John A. Lo- 
gan, Col. Robert G. [ngersoll, Governor- 
Tanner and most of the noted men of the 
state, 

Mr. Ilaynie delights t" recall reminis- 
cences of his great grandfather on his 
father's side, win' was named Donald Camp- 



RICHLAND. CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



47 



bell, who migrated from Scotland to Nor- 
folk, Virginia, where he bought up all the 
land between what was then Norfolk and 
the wharf, which is now known as Campbell 
wharf. Mr. Campbell died in February, 
1795. Mr. Haynie has in his possession a 
copy of Campbell's will executed February 
2, 1795. Donald Campbell's father was 
Archibald Campbell, who survived his son 
and died in 1802. There are many descen- 
dants of the Campbell family living today 
in Philadelphia and Virginia. 



AUGUSTIN ROBERT WILLIAMS. 

By reason of numerous rare innate quali- 
ties, together with his pleasing personal 
qualities, together with his pleasing personal 
address, his honesty of purpose and his 
loyalty to his native community. Mr. Wil- 
liams has reached a conspicuous round in 
the ladder of success in his chosen field of 
endeavor and justly merits the high esteem 
in which he is held by all who know him. 

A. R. Williams, the popular and well 
known teller of the Salem State Bank, 
Salem, Illinois, is a native of Marion county, 
having first seen the light of day in the city 
of Salem on December 15, 1875, the son of 
Rowland H. Williams, a native of New 
York City, who was born near Delaney 
street. He early decided to leave the con- 
gested metropolis and seek his fortune in 
the freer and less trammeled West, and 
consequently in casting about for an oppor- 
tunity to properly get his initial start in the 
business world he decided to try Ohio and 



soon set out for Columbus and finally lo- 
cated near that city, then in about 1870 he 
came to Salem, Illinois, where he elected to 
remain, being impressed with the superior 
prospects of the place. He was proprietor of 
the Salem Marble Works for a number of 
years and at the time of his death, which oc- 
curred on December 10, 1890, he was post- 
master of Salem, this important appoint- 
ment having been made in recognition of 
his valuable services and his unflagging 
loyalty to the principles of the party then 
in power. He also showed his loyalty to 
the Union by enlisting in the Eighty-fifth 
Ohio Volunteer Regiment, serving with 
credit throughout the war between the 
states. 

The grandfather of the subject on the 
paternal side of the house was Robert Wil- 
liams, a native of Wales, he and his good 
wife having settled in New York and later 
coming to Ohio. His wife, late in life, came 
to Salem where she died. The grandmother 
of the subject on his maternal side was a 
native of Tennessee. She, too, died in 
Salem where she had lived only a few^ years, 
having been called to her eternal sleep 
shortly after the war. 

The mother of the subject was known in 
her maidenhood as Margaret Keeney, a na- 
tive of near old Foxville, Illinois, this 
county, the daughter of A. W. Keeney, who 
moved from Indiana to Marion county 
where he settled on a farm, but moved to 
Salem during the Civil war. He had a son 
killed in the battle of Shiloh and this caused 
him to desert the old farm homestead and 
move to Salem. He was associated with 



48 



BIOGRAPHICAl \\l> REMINISCENT IIIMuin OF 



Seth Andrews in the Salem Milling Gun 
pany of Salem for many years. The last few 
years of his life he lived in retirement. He 
passed awaj July _•. [890. The mother of 
the subject, a woman of man} praise- 
worthy traits, is still living in [908. 

["hree children were burn to Mr. and 
Mrs. Rowland 11. Williams, one having died 
in infancy. Frank L. Williams, the living 
brother of the subject, was born in Salem 
May J5, 1881, and is a well known con- 
tract 

V R. Williams, our subject, spent his 
boyhood in Salem attending the local 
schools, ha- -Inated from the Salem 

high school in 1893, after making a spli 
did record for scholarship. Mr. Williams 

3 with Cutler & Hays in the mercantile 
business, during which tune he added very 
much to the prestige of the firm and wen 
^core< of customers from all over the county 
b) reason of his com Icons treatment and 

iscientious work, and the fact that his ser- 
vices were so long continued by this firm 
is a criterion that they were eminently satis- 

torj in ever) particular. Desiring to bet- 
ter fit himself Foi 3 business career which 
he soon determined should he his hfe's chief 
aim, he entered Brown's Business College 

1 entralia. from which he graduated with 
distinct^ hi 111 1 • >o6. 

The unusual ability of Mr. Williams was 
s. .. in known to the business people of Salem 
and when the State Bank became in need 
ni and reliable teller, no one 
worthier of the place could be found than 
our subject, consequently he was en,- 



ited to accept this important post, which 
he did on December jo, 1000. .titer resign- 
ing his position with Cutler and Hays, 
much to their regret, for they well knew 
that the\ would have much difficulty in fill- 
ing the place of such a valuable man. 

Mr. Williams has shown rare business 
ability in handling his new position and has 

given entire satisfaction to his employers 
from the first, having become known as one 
of the most trusted and thoroughly efficient 

bank tellers in this part of the state. 

V R. Williams was married t" Miss 
Olive M. Peters, of Sandoval, Illinois, 
October 25, 1908. She is a daughter' of 1> 
M. and Lydia 1 Xeffi Peters Fraternally 

\lr. Williams is a member of the ancient 

and honorable order of Masons, a niembei 

1 Cyrene Commandery No. 23, Knights 

mplar, of Centralia, also ;i member of 

the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at 

Salem; he is also a member of the Wood- 
men and the Modern American Fraternal 
( trdcr. 

Mr. Williams is strong in his relig 
ivictions, being a faithful member of the 
I 'resbvterian church. 



ill \ULKS II. HOI I 

I he biographical annals of Marion Coun- 
tllinois, would be incomplete were there 
failure to make specific mention of the hon- 
orable gentleman, whose name introduces 
this review, who is one of the county's 




CHARLES H. HOLT. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



49 



ablest and must distinguished native sons, 
for lie had the sagacity early in youth to 
see that better opportunities waited for him 
right here on his native heath than other- 
where, consequently his life labors have 
been confined to this locality rather than in 
distant and precarious fields, and judging 
from the eminent success he has here at- 
tained he was fortunate in coming to this 
decision-— to remain at home. Judge Holt 
has been prominently identified with the in- 
dustrial, material and civic progress of the 
community, having ever stood for loyal and 
public-spirited citizenship, having been a 
potent factor in bringing about the wonder- 
ful development in this favored section, con- 
tributing his influence and energy in the 
transformation which has made this one of 
the leading counties of the state, with its 
highly cultivated farms, thriving towns and 
villages, its school-houses, churches and all 
other evidences of progress and culture, and 
he is today not only one of the leading attor- 
neys and among the most- highly honered 
citizens of Salem, the beautiful and thriving 
county seat, but is recognized as one of the 
foremost men at the bar in the state. In all 
the relations of life he has been faithful to all 
the trusts reposed in him, performing his 
duty conscientiously and with due regard 
lor the welfare of others often at the sacri- 
fice of his own best interests and pleasures. 
Charles H. Holt was born near Vernon, 
Marion county. Illinois, October I. 1868. the 
only child of William H. Holt, and Sarah 
(Parsons) Holt, the former a native of 
Union county, and the latter a native of the 
4 



state of Ohio. They were married in Ma- 
rion county. The mother of the subject was 
called to her rest in November. 1892. Wil- 
liam H. Holt is living in 1908, and making 
his home with the subject in Salem. The 
father was a soldier is the One Hundred 
and Eleventh Illinois Volunteer Infantry, 
having enlisted under Col. James S. 
Martin, who afterward became a genera!. 
Mr. Holt served gallantly for three years, 
or until his enlistment expired, his princi- 
pal services being with Sherman on his 
march to the sea, and his campaigns around 
Atlanta. William H. Holt has been a use 
ful and industrious man, scrupulously honest 
and he yet exercises considerable influence 
in his community. He and his worthy life 
companion spared no pains in giving their 
son. our subject, every possible advantage 
and encouragement to make the most of life, 
and many of his sterling attributes and 
noble traits of character may be traced to 
the wholesome home influence and uplifting 
environment in which he was reared. Henry 
Holt, grandfather of the subject, was one 
of the first settlers of Marion count}', having 
come here from Tennessee, and participated 
in organizing the county and many of the 
county offices were indebted to his sound 
judgment for their early development. He 
was a public-spirited man and did an incal- 
culable amount of good in furthering the 
interests of his community. Like many of 
the hardy pioneers of those early times, h-e 
possessed many sterling qualities and won 
the admiration of .all who knew him. 
Charles H. Holt, our subject, attended 



50 



BlOGRAPHICAl \\l> KI\ll\!Ml\l HIMnin ol 



the country schools during the winter 
month- while living on his father's farm 
and later the Salem high school, from which 
he graduated in the class of [889. Being 
an ambitious lad from the firsl he applied 
himself mosl assiduously and outstripped 
many of the less courageous plodders of his 
day, making excellent grades. After leaving 
the high school he engaged in teaching with 
marked success for one year, then, thirsting 
for more knowledge, he entered Northwesl 
ern University at Chicago, taking a prepara- 
torj course the first year. Believing" that 
his tine life work lay along legal lines, he 
spent three years in a law office in Chicago 
ami then Incited at kinmundy. this county, 
ami while living here, where his success was 
instantaneous, he became popular with his 

party, which nominated him for the respo 
sible position of county judge, and he was 
subsequently elected by a handsome majority 
in [898, serving two terms with entire sal 
isfaction to his constituents and all con- 
cerned and in such a manner as to rellect 
great credit upon his ability, manifesting 
from the first that he had unmistakable judi- 
cial talent and a profound knowledge of 
law in its variegated phases. 

In i<)(>4 Judge Holt removed to Salem 
and at the expiration of his term of office 
resumed the practice of law. with a well 
equipped and pleasant suite of rooms in the 
necipher building. He ha- one of the 
largest and best -elected libraries to he found 
in Southern Illinois. Xot only does the 
Judge keep posted on all the late judicial de- 
ions and court rulings, hut he is a well 



read man on scientific, literary and current 
topics, so that his conversation is at once 
animated and learned. 

The Judge is a strong and influential ad- 
vocate of the principles embodied in the 

Democratic party and i- well fortified in his 

convictions, always read) t" lend hi- influ- 
ence and time to the furtherance of his par- 
ty's interests and assist in placing the best 
men obtainable in the county offices. He 
has served as chairman of the Democratic 
Centra] Committee of Marion county, dur- 
ing which time he displayed rare acumen 

and sagacity in the management of the par- 

t\ '- affair-. 

Although Mr. Holt's extensive legal prac- 
tice occupied the major part of his time, he 
has considerable business interests which he 
manages with uniform success. lie 1- a 
stockholder in the Salem National Bank, 
and also in the farmers' and Merchants' 
If ink of St. Peter, [Him 

Judge Holt's happy and harmonious do- 
me-tic life dates from [897, when he was 
united in marriage to Frances W. Fox, the 
accomplished and cultured daughter of Dr. 
fesse IX Fox, of Kindmundy, this count) 
Doctor Fox was one of the county's mosl 
noted physicians ami best known citizens, 
who died about 1881. The following chil- 
dren have blessed the home of the subjed 
with their cheer and sunshine: Dorothy F.. 
who w.i- born in May. 1S0S; Ward P., born 
in October, [900; Frances S., who was born 
in October, 1004; Charlotte, whose date of 
birth occurred September jo. 1000. These 
children are all bright and winsome, giving 



RICHLAXIi, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



51 



promise of successful future careers. The 
Holt home is a model one, the residence 
being modern, commodious, well furnished 
and invaded with the most wholesome at- 
mosphere. 

Our subject in his fraternal relations is 
affiliated with the Independent Order of 
Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias, 
having occupied the chairs in both. He is 
truly a strong and prominent character, and 
owing to his individual personal traits, 
which are highly commendable,- his past 
record, which is unmarred by a shadow, his 
pleasing address, kindly disposition, upright- 
ness and public spirit, the future augurs still 
greater honors for the subject, for he has 
gained the undivided esteem and confidence 
of his fellow citizens throughout Marion 
and adjoining counties, and such a worthy 
character is seldom left alone by the public 
when services of a high order are constantly 
being sought. 



HON". HLBKRT ROWLAND. M. D. 

Prominent in the professional life of Ol- 
ney, Richland county, pre-eminently distin- 
guished for carrying to completion impor- 
tant public enterprises and enjoying 
marked prestige in many things far 
beyond the limits of the community 
honored by his citizenship, the subject 
of this sketch stands out a clear 
and conspicuous figure among the success- 
t nl men of a part of the great Prairie state 



noted throughout the commonwealth for its 
high order of intelligence and business and 
professional talent. Characterized by breadth 
of wisdom and strong individuality, his 
achievements but represent the utilization of 
innate talents in directing efforts along lines 
in which mature judgment, rare discrimina- 
tion, and a resourcefulness that hesitates at 
no opposing circumstances, pave the way 
and ultimately lead to great achievements. 
It is not the intention of the biographer to 
give in this connection a detailed history of 
the subject's life, but rather to note incident- 
ally his connection with various public offices 
and his long and worth}- practice of medi- 
cine, and to show the marked influence he 
has wielded in advancing the material in- 
terests of Richland count}- and in promoting 
the general welfare of its populace. 

Dr. Elbert Rowland was born in New 
York City, April 28, 1832, the son of Town- 
send and Eliza (Sands) Rowland, natives 
of Long Island, where they were reared 
and married. The suhject's father learned 
the tailor's trade and conducted a tailor 
shop in the city of New York for a number 
of years. In 1840 he came to Richland 
county and altered two hundred and forty 
acres of land in Bonpas township. It was 
wild and in the wilderness, there being but 
few settlers there at that time. He erected 
a log cabin and began to make a home. 
There was plenty of wild game of all kinds 
in the forests round about, and the wolves, 
foxes and other animals gave some trouble. 
The early settlers of those days had many 
exciting fox chases. The family lived in 



52 



BIOGRAPHK \i VND REMINISCENT III.Mnin OF 



a log "cabin for a number of years The} 
improved .1 good farm in due course of time, 
father of the subject died in Olnej a) 
the advanced age of eighty-four years in 
[896, his life companion having preceded 
him to the silent land in [876, al the age 
of sixty-four years. The) were the parents 
of ten children, all of whom grew to ma- 
turity, eight of the numbei living al this 
writing 1 1908), the subjecl of this sketch 
being the eldest of the family. He was only 
seven years old when he ome to what is 
now Richland county, where he was reared 
on a farm in Bonpas township. There werea 
few subscription schools at thai time, which 
our subject attended during the winter 
months for a few terms. \- usual, the old 
i-M of the children worked hard to help up 
porl the family, such was the lot of El 
bert Rowland. When sixteen years old he 
went to Lancaster, Wabash county, where 
he became clerk in a general store where he 
continued for three years. He then bought 
an interest in a traveling daguerreotype gal 
lery and visited various sections of southern 
Illinois, finally selling his interest after ar 
riving in Olne] In (855 he went to Law 
county and began the study of medi- 
under Dr. J. L. Flanders, who lived 
on a farm, and who w:\- at thai time one ol 
the leading physicians and surgeons in 
Southern Illinois. He studied two years and 
in [857 went to New York and entered the 
New York Medical College, from which he 
graduated in chemistry in [858, and in med 
icine in 185c). having made a brillianl rec- 
ord in that institul 



\fter leaving school, the subject prac- 
ticed in the hospitals of New York for a 
year. \\ hen the Civil war began, he deemed 
it his dutj to do something for his coun- 
try and he applied for an appointment and 
was commissioned first assistant surgeon of 
the ( Ine Hundred and Twent) seventh New 
VTork Volunteer Infautn with the rank of 
captain, serving three years. lie remained 
with this regiment, was present in all the 
engagement in which it participated ex 
cepl one. having then been absenl on a ten 
days' leave t'> go home. \.mong the impor 
tant battles in which he participated were 
Gettysburg, Bascom Bridge, siege ol 
Charleston, etc lie was active in field 
work and escaped with one slighl wound in 
the hand. 

\ it or the war he returned to Illinois and 
located at Noble, where lie engaged in gen 
eral practice and soon built up a lucrative 
business, continuing here until [880, when 
lu- located at Olney and continued practice 
with his usual greal success until 1905, when 
he retired and has since keen leading a 
quiet life. 

In politics he is a Democrat and for many 
years was quite active and prominent in the 
affairs of his party. lie was elected chair- 
man of the Democratic Central Committee 
of Richland county in 1865. and so well did 
he manage its affairs that he was annually 
re-elected for nineteen consecutive years and 
has keen a memker of the same for thirty- 
five years. During this time lie served as 
chairman of the Fxecutive Committee for 
two terms, and Literary Committee for tw • 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



53 



terms, lie served as chairman of the Con- 
gressional Committee one term, and was 
chairman of the Senatorial and Legislative 
Committees for two terms. He has been 
delegate to the county, state, legislative, dis- 
trict and national conventions and chairman 
nf various committees. He was regarded 
as niie of the "wheel-horses" of the Demo- 
cratic party in this locality for many years 
and he wielded a powerful influence in its 
councils. In [882 he was a candidate for 
nomination as representative from the Forty- 
fourth District. There were four candidates 
and in the convention he received the entire 
vote on the first ballot. His election fol- 
lowed by a majority of one thousand two 
hundred and ninety-six in a district which 
at that time was about six hundred Repub- 
lican. Tliis shows his great popularity with 
the masses, and his splendid work in that 
body showed the wisdom of his constituents 
in their selection. He has always taken 
an active interest in whatever tended to pro- 
mote the general interest of his community. 



of Censors in Evansville Hospital Medical 
College tor three years. In all these capaci- 
ties he gave the greatest satisfaction and 
always looked after such business with the 
same care as if it had been his own. 

The happy domestic life of the subject be- 
gan January 23, 1862, when he married Kate 
Mallary, a native of New York City, the 
daughter nf Sherland and Judah (Elliott) 
Mallary, natives of Connecticut. The father 
was in the real estate and rental agency 
business and died there of cholera. His wife 
survived a number of years and died at the 
home of her daughter, Mrs. Row land, at No- 
ble, this state. 

Five children have been born to the sub- 
ject and wife, four of whom are living, as 
follows: Kate Elbertine, the wife of I. A. 
Phillips, of Waterbury, Connecticut: The- 
ressa, the wife of E. E. Edwards, of Olney ; 
Charles Townsend, a druggist, of Streator, 
Illinois; Elbert M., an attorney and Master 
in Chancerv. owner and editor of The Olnev 



When a resident of Noble he was a member Times. These children received good educa- 
of the school board for seventeen years, dur- tions and are all well situated in reference 
ing which time the schools of that place to this world's affairs. 



were built up to excellent proportions, hav- 
ing been president of the board of trustees 
fi n' twi 1 terms and one term as treasurer. Hp 
was appointed health officer of Olney in 
[882 and served in a most efficient manner 
for seventeen years. He served as president 
of the Board of United States Pension Ex- 



In his fraternal relations the subject is a 
member of the Masonic order at Olney. also 
the Grand Army of the Republic, having 
served as surgeon of the latter for many 
years. 

It is doubtful if any citizen of this part of 
the state has achieved more honorable men 



airliners for ten years, and as president of tion or occupied a more conspicuous place 
the Richland County Board of Charities for before the public than he whose name ap- 
seven years. He was a member of the Board pears at the head of these paragraphs. 



54 



: VPHICAL \\I> REMINISI I \ I HISTORY "I 



II. D. EVANS. 

II. D. Evans was born in Marion county, 
this slate. September 30, [866, the son of O. 
F. Evans, Police Magistrate, and a native of 
tin- o iunty. The mother of Mr. Evans wa 
Lucy J. Tingle, a native of Kentucky, who 
came here in [850. The subject's parents 
still living in [908. They became the 
parents of nine children, four sons and five 
daughters. 

II. I). Evans attended school in Salem, re 
maining under his parental roof until he was 
twenty-two d. He then went ti i To 

peka. Kansas, in t888, and learned the car- 
penter'- trade, at which he worked twelve 1 
fourteen years, remaining in Topeka three 
years. He finally returned to Salem and 
worked at his trade for two years, when he 
went near Terre Haute and continued at 
this trade, and was there married to Nannie 
Maddock, the daughter of William Mad- 
k, of Atherton, Indiana, on March 7. 
1894. Two iin and winsome chil- 

dren have been born to the subject and wife, 
as follows: Gladys Marie, whose date of 
birth occurred June 24, 1895, and Gretchen 
Irene, who firsl saw the light of day on Au- 
gust [9, [8 

After his marriage Mr. Ev; nie to 

Salem.. Moving on a farm, he remained 
there one ai >}\ \ ear-, w hen he mi >\ cd 

to Salem and engaged in a mtracting and thi 
lumber business for four yea er wine]; 

he went on the road for two and one-half 
selling paints and varnishes, lie is 
now a member of the drug firm of Evans & 



I tarmon, which owns sb »res at luka. [llinois, 
and Moorhouse, Missouri. 

Mr. Evans is a wide awake, energetic 
business man of sound judgment and mod- 
ern business principles, anil he has always 
succeeded at whatever he undertook. He 
Faithfully served the city of Salem as Alder- 
man several years ago. He is a Mason, a 
member of the Knights of Pythias, and both 
he and his wife are members of the Chris- 
tian church, and are well and favorably 
known to a host of friends in this commun- 
ity. 



T. W. WILLIAMS. 



^.mong the strong and influential citizens 
1 Marion county, the record of whose lives 
in essential part of the history 
of the section, the gentleman whose name 
appears above occupies a prominent place, 
and for mam years has exerted a beneficial 
influence in the community in which he re- 
sides. 

T. W. Williams, the well known Jus 
of the Peace at Salem. Illinois, was born in 
Silver Springs, Wilson county. Tennessee, 
Ma) _'-'. [837, the son of W. G. Williams, 
a man of sterling worth and influence, who 
was horn and reared at Silver Springs. He 

me to [llinois in 1845. locating in the 
northern pari of Marion county which is 
now embraced in Kinmundy township, 
where he developed a farm, making a com- 
fortable home ami a good living during his 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



55 



residence there. Thomas Williams, father 
of W. G. Williams and grandfather of the 
subject of this sketch, came to Illinois with 
the family in 1845. He was a North Caro- 
linian by birth and a fine type of the true 
Southern gentleman. He followed farming 
all his life. He died in Kinmundy. W. G. 
Williams died in 1904, at the advanced age 
of eighty-seven years. The mother of the 
subject was Mary Morning, a "native of old 
Virginia and a woman of many estimable 
traits. She passed to her rest in 1852. Mr. 
and Mrs. W. G. Williams were the parents 
of nine children as follows : Elizabeth, 
widow of R. G. Williams, who now lives in 
Foster township, Marion county; T. W., 
our subject; Othnial, who is living at 
Raleigh, Saline county, Illinois, was a 
soldier in the Civil war; Joseph died while 
in the Union army ; G. H. also died in 
the Union army; George M. was killed 
while in the Federal ranks ; Henry N. also 
died in the Union army; Carroll died in in- 
fancy ; Mary Jane is the wife of John Car- 
man, living at Kinmundy, this county. 

The subject's father married the second 
time, his last wife being Martha Boczkie- 
wicz, and by this union five children were 
born as follows : Piety Smith, now de- 
ceased, who lived in Hamilton county, Illi- 
nois; W. G., Jr., who is living in Hamilton 
county; F. O., who is also a resident of 
Hamilton county; John V., is a Baptist min- 
ister, living at Galitia, Saline county, Illi- 
nois; Priscilla died at the age of ten years. 

T. W. Williams, our subject, was raised 
on the farm and attended the common 



schools where he diligently applied himself 
and received a fairly good education. After 
he reached maturity he bought and sold live 
stock, making this business a success from 
the start, having much natural ability as a 
trader. He lived on the farm for twenty- 
five years. He also made a marked success 
later dealing in live stock and grain, becom- 
ing widely known not only as a man of 
unusual industry but also of scrupulous 
honesty. 

Having taken a lively interest in politics 
and becoming well known throughout the 
county he was sought out by his political 
friends for positions of public trust, having 
first served as Deputy Sheriff in 1890 of Ma- 
rion county for a period of two years, with 
the greatest satisfaction to all concerned and 
reflecting much credit upon his innate ability 
as an official. In 1893 he became Deputy 
Circuit Clerk, in which capacity he ably 
served for five years. Mr. Williams was 
postmaster at Kinmundy, Illinois, in 1885, 
during Cleveland's first administration. He 
had previously been living on his farm, but 
he then moved to Kinmundy and from that 
town to Salem in 1900 for the purpose of 
assuming the duties of Deputy Sheriff. In 
all of his official career not the shadow of 
suspicion of wrong has rested upon him, and 
he has given uniform satisfaction to all con- 
cerned in whatever place he has filled. He 
was the Democratic nominee for Sheriff in 
1894, but was defeated by a Republican can- 
didate. 

Mr. Williams' early life was devoted very 
largely to school teaching, having won a 



56 



BIOGR VPHICAL AND M MINIMI \ HISTl \K\ < IF 



lasting reputation throughoul Mai 
count) as an able instructor and his services 
were always in greal demand. He followed 
this tine of work from the time he was 
twenty-one until lie was fort) years old, 
having taught not only in Marion but a 
Hamilton and Saline counties. He lias 
given his time to the duties of the office of 
Justice i if the I 'eai - . to which he was elected 
in [900. He 1- also engaged in the hotel 
business, being the present proprietor of the 
Williams House, which he has managed foi 
ten years. Owing to the courteous treat- 
menl and excellent accommodations which 
the traveling public finds at this house, it 
has a liberal patronage and has become well 
known to those finding it convenient to stop 
at a well kept hostelry. 

I he domestic life of Mr. Williams began 
when he was united in marriage with Juliet 
Uuczkiewicz on March 2j, [859. She was 
a representative of a highl) respected and 
well known family of this county. By tins 
union the following interesting children 
have been born: Henrietta, the wife of 
rge M. Hargrove, of Fayette county, Il- 
linois; Aunetta. deceased; Alfe, the wife of 
\Y. \\ . Newis, of Salem; W. W., of Cen- 
tralia, this state; Walter, of Ashland, Cass 
county, Illinois; T. S., of Salem. 

These children have received good edu- 
cations and careful home training which is 
clcarK reflected in their li 

Mrs. Williams was called to her rest in 
[88l, and Mr. Williams was married again 
in [884 to Nannie I.. Williams, a daughter 
of T. C. Williams, of Kinmundv. a well 



known family of that place. There have 
been ni > children by this union. 

Fraternally Mr. Williams is affili 
with the Masonic order, having belonged to 
this lodge since he was twenty-live years 

old. He is a member of the Baptist church, 
and judging from his sober, upright, well 
ordered daily life one would conclude that 
he believes in carrying out the sublime pre- 
its and doctrines embraced in -both the 
lodge and the church to which lie belon 
Mr, Williams is a man of striking personal- 
ity, portly with a proper poise of dignity to 
his military bearing which makes him a con- 
spicuous figure wherever he goes, lie i^ a 
pleasant man to meet, always kind, affable, 
well mannered and congenial; these com- 
mendable traits coupled with his industry 
and genuine worth make him a favorite in 
Marion county and wherever he is known, 
and he justly merits the high esteem of 
w Inch he is the recipient. 



J \MF.S 1:. LEWIS. 

Few men in Marion county OCCUp) as 
prominent position in public and political 
affairs as the well known and deservedly 
popular gentleman whose name introduces 
this article. His has indeed been a busy and 
isful life and the record is eminently 
worthy of perusal by the student who would 
learn the intrinsic essence of individuality 
ami its influence in moulding opinion and 
g character and stability to a commu- 
nity. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



57 



James B. Lewis, editor and publisher of 
The Marion County Democrat, and one of 
the leading journalists of southern Illinois, 
is a native of Nicholas county, Kentucky. 
where his birth occurred on the 14th day of 
November, 1852. His father, O. M. Lewis, 
who was born and reared to manhood in the 
state of New York, migrated about 1835 to 
Ohio where he spent the ensuing ten years, 
and at the expiration of that time removed 
to Kentucky where he made his home until 
his death in the year 1862. O. M. Lewis 
was a man of fine mind and superior intel- 
lectual atainments, having enjoyed excellent 
educational advantages in his native state, 
graduating when a young man from Alfred 
Center College. After finishing his educa- 
tion he engaged in teaching, which profes- 
sion he followed with marked success in 
Carlisle and Maysville, Kentucky, until the 
breaking out of the war with Mexico, when 
he resigned his position and entering the 
army served throughout that struggle while 
still in his minority. Later when the na- 
tional sky became overcast with the ominous 
clouds of approaching Civil war he was 
among the first men of Nicholas county to 
tender his services to the national govern- 
ment, enlisting in 1861 in Company H, 
Eighteenth Kentucky Volunteer Infantry, 
in which he soon rose to the position of cap- 
tain, and as such served with a brilliant 
record until August, 1862, when he was 
killed while bravely leading his men in the 
battle of Richmond, Kentucky. This was 
one of the bloodiest of the war, the Eight- 
eenth Kentucky, a veteran regiment, losing 



two-thirds of its men, while the losses of 
several other regiments were almost if not 
quite as great. Mr. Lewis is said to haw- 
been the most popular man in his regiment, 
and was almost idolized by his own com- 
pany, during his entire period of service. 
The Grand Army Post at Carlisle, Ken- 
tucky, where he enlisted, is called the 
O. M. Lewis Post in his honor. Although 
a man of scholarly tastes and habits, and for 
many years devoted to his books ami studies 
he inherited the martial instinct also being 
descended from fighting stock on the ma- 
ternal side, his mother having been a Law- 
ton, a relative of the late General Lawton, 
one of America's most distinguished heroes, 
who lost his life in the Philippines. O. M. 
Lewis was born on August 30, 1824, mar- 
ried in 1850 to Elizabeth Mann, of Nicholas 
count}', Kentucky, and became the father of 
eight children, only three now survive, 
namely : Mrs. Louisa L. Davidson, of Pa- 
toka, Illinois, James B., of this review and 
Airs. Anna J. Burns who lives in Fresno, 
California. In September following her 
husband's death, 1863, Mrs. Lewis, with her 
three children, moved to Marion county, Il- 
linois, and located about two miles east of 
Patoka, on a farm of one hundred and sixty 
acres which had been purchased by Mr. 
Lewis some years previously. In 1865 she 
became the wife of George Binnion, of Mar- 
ion county, who was also a soldier during, 
the war of the Rebellion and the son of 
Francis Binnion, the second marriage result- 
ing in the birth of two sons, Daniel 11., and 
Frank. At the time of his death, which 



5« 



U RAPIIICAl v\l' REMINISCEN1 HISTORY OF 



occurred in the month of July. 1907, at the 
remarkable age of one hundred and seven 
years, Francis Binnion was the oldest man 
in Marion county, if u<>t in the state. 

James B. Lewis spenl In- childhood in the 
state of 1 1 i - birth, and when eleven years "1<I 
was brought by his mother i" 
county, Illinois, with the subsequent history 
n hich his life ha- been very 
ely interwoven. \t the proper age he 
public si 1 I 'afc ika, w here 

he pursued his studies until completing the 
common and high school branches, the 
training thus received was in Milton, Wis- 
consin, where he earned an honorable record 
as a close and painstaking student. < )n quit- 
ting college lie turned his attention to teach- 
ing, but after d( several years to this 
g it n<>! alt' igether n 1 
hi- liking lie discontinued it ami took up the 
stud) of medicine. \iut .1 course of read- 
ing under the direction of competent local 
talent he entered the Eclectic Medical Insti- 
tute at Cincinnati, where he continued his 
studies and researches until receiving his de 
gree in the year 1 S7S, following which he 
e in I 'at' ika and in due l 

extensn e practice \\ Inch pri >\ ed 
ml financially as professionally, 
and which earned for him an honorable 
reputal i .dint;- physicians and 

Marion and neighboring coun- 
ties. 

Dr. Lewis brought to In- chosen calling 
a mind well disciplined bj intellectual and 
professional training, and it was not I 
until hi- practice took a very wale range, 



embracing nut only the town and a large 
area of adjacent country, hut not infre- 
quentlj were his services sought at other and 
remote points for treatment of difficult and 
critical cases in which a high degree of ef 
ficiency ami skill were required. IK- con 
tmucd his professional business with encour- 
aging SUCCeSS Until the fall of [884 when he 

was elected Clerk of the Marion Circuit 
Court, and the better to attend to his official 
functions here moved within a short time to 
Salem where he has since resided. Doctor 
Lewis discharged the duties of the clerk-hip 
wit' to himself and to the satisfac- 

tion of the people, and during his incum- 
bencj of four years won the esteem ami 

idence of all who had business i" trans- 
act in In- "i 1 1 ving a most capable, ju- 
dicious and obliging public servant. In 
February, [889, shortly after the expiration 
of his official term he established "The Mar- 
ion County Democrat," which he lias since 
conducted, and which under hi- able busi- 
ness and editorial management is now one 
of the best and most influential local papers 
in the southern part of the state, in many 
respects comparing favorably with the more 
pretentious -lien- of the larger metropolitan 

ters. The political creed of The Demo 
crat i- indicated by its title, and a- a part> 
organ it ha- had much to do in moulding 

nion, formulating policies and directing 
public affairs, the doctor being an elegant 
and forceful writer, a courteous but fearless 
antagonist and in discussing the leading 
que d issues of the day he wield 

trenchant pen and makes his influence felt 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



59 



not only on these but on all other matters 
which the enterprising journalist is supposed 
to bring to the attention of the public. 

The Democrat office is well equipped with 
the latest modern machinery and appliances 
for first class work in the art preservative, 
and in its mechanical make up the paper is 
fully abreast of the times, all that constitutes 
a first class newspaper being systematically 
arranged and a model of neatness and typo- 
graphical art. Aside from its political phase 
it is designed to vibrate with the public pulse 
and in addition to the news of the day, its 
columns teem with much of the best current 
literature and it has also became the medium 
through which the productions of a number 
of rising local writers are given publicity. 

In brief The Democrat is a clean and dig- 
nified and interesting family paper as well 
as 'a popular and influential political organ, 
and its steady growth in public favor be- 
speaks for it a future of still greater prom- 
ise and usefulness. Not only as an editorial 
moulder of opinion does Mr. Lewis make 
his influence felt in directing the affairs of 
his town and county, but as an enterprising 
public spirited citizen, with the welfare of 
the community at heart, he has ever been 
interested in whatever makes for the benefit 
of his fellow men. encouraging to the extent 
of his ability all worthy measures and takes 
the lead in movements having for their ob- 
ject the social, intellectual and moral ad- 
vancement of those with whom he mingles. 

On the 1 2th day of September, 1877, Mr. 
Lewis was united in the bonds of wedlock 



with Mona I. Quoyle, daughter of Capt. T. 
H. and Rebecca Quoyle, of Salem, the mar- 
riage being blessed with six children, four 
of whom are living, the other two dying in 
infancy. Anna L, the oldest of the family, 
is the wife of E. H. Barenfauger, a con- 
tractor of Salem. Orin M., the second in 
order of birth is associated with his father 
in The Democrat office and has achieved 
honorable repute as an enterprising and 
capable newspaper man. Before entering 
the field of journalism he served four years 
in the United States navy, having 
vi sited nearly every country of the old 
and new world, and completely encircled 
the globe while with the squadron under the 
command of Robley D. Evans or "Fighting 
Bob," one of the most distinguished admir- 
als of his time. Thomas O., the second son, 
is a locomotive fireman at the Chicago & 
Eastern Illinois yards in Salem, while Owen 
\\\. the youngest of the number is also con- 
nected with the Chicago & Eastern Illinois 
Railway, holding the position of store 
keeper at Salem. In his fraternal relations 
Mr. Lewis is a Mason and an Odd Fellow, 
belonging to the lodges of those organiza- 
tions in Salem and manifesting a lively in- 
terest in their deliberations. While not 
actively engaged in the practice of his pro- 
fession he is fully abreast of the times on all 
matters relating to medical science, being a 
close and diligent student and an untiring 
investigator, and by keeping in touch with 
the trend of modern thought maintains not 
only his interest in the healing art, but the 



6o 



l:i< >< ,K \ I- 1 1 U \ I VND REMINISCEN1 HISTORY 01 



honorable position to which lie attained 
while devoting his entire time and attention 
t<> the ills of suffering humanity. 

During the entire period of his residence 
in Salem as a physician, public official, edi- 
tor, a- the center of his family circle ami 
as a citizen he has made good his title to 
the honored name inherited from his 
ancestors, besides adding to its luster by a 
Strict adherence to duty in every relation to 
which he has been called. 



I RANK A. ROGERS. 

In touching upon the life history of 
the subject of this sketch the writer aims 
to avoid fulsome encomium and extrava- 
gant praise, yet he desires to hold up 
for consideration those facts which have 
shown the distinction of a true, useful and 
honorable life — a life characterized by per- 
severance, energy, broad charity and well 
defined purpose. To do this will be but to 
reiterate the dictum pronounced upon Mr. 
Rogers by the people who have known him 
so long and well. 

Frank A. Rogers, the present popular 
' ount) Treasurer of Marion county, was 
horn in Omega, this county, April I. [871, 
and while still a young man has left the in- 
delible imprint of his strong personality 
upon the locality where he has spent his 
life. 'The father of the subj eel was William 
A. Rogers, a native of Tennessee, who came 
to this county in [854. lie was engaged all 



lii- life in agricultural pursuits, and he was a 
man of great influence in his community. 
ami was Supervisor of his township for fif- 
teen years, also Justice of the Peace for 
twentj years, and he was chairman of the 
County Board at the time of his death, Feb- 
ruary 24, [891. The subject's mother was 
Rebecca Chapman in her maidenhood. She 
was horn in Omega township, this county, 
mber 25, 1846, and is still living in 
[908 on the old homestead. She is a woman 
of refinement and gracious personality 
which has won hosts of friends. To Mr. 
ami Mrs. William A. Rogers the following 
children were horn: Leva, who died in 
infancy; the second in order of birth was 
our subject; Luther A., living at Welling- 
ton. Kansas; Giles X., of luka. Illinois: 
Daniel C, deceased; Leo Delbert, of Poca 
hontas. Iowa; Paul, of Omega township. 

The subject's father was twice married. 
Mis first wife was Minerva Jane Craig. 

Frank A. Rogers lived at home until he- 
was twenty-one years old, assisting with the 
work about the farm until he had acquired 
sufficienl education to begin teaching. Be- 
ing an ambitious lad he always applied him 
self diligently to his text-books ami conse- 
quently outstripped mosl of the common 
plodders that made up the mil of contem- 
poraneous school fellows in his neighbor- 

h 1. and he has since greatly added to his 

early foundation in educational matters by 
c< iming in ci mtacl with the w • 'tld and 1>\ sys- 
tematic home study. But few men are to lie 
met w ith in the state of lllim 'is who are any 
better informed on current topi,- of a gen- 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES. ILLINOIS. 



6r 



era! nature than Mr. Rogers, for he has al- 
ways been a close student of the trend of 
events, politically, scientifically and in other 
leading issues. He followed teaching for a 
period of seventeen years in Marion county, 
during which time he established an envied 
reputation as an instructor and his services 
were in great demand. He was not only 
popular for his superior text-book learning, 
but his kind and pleasing personality, his 
peculiar insight in the characters of his pu- 
pils, which made it easy for him to control 
ami properly direct each pupil, made him 
popular with all classes of people. 

Air. Rogers always took a deep interest in 
political movements, being a stanch advo- 
cate of the principles and policies of the 
Democratic party, with which he has been 
affiliated from the time of attaining his ma- 
jority, and he has ever lent his aid in fur- 
thering the party's cause and is well forti- 
fied in his political convictions, while he is 
essentially public-spirited and progressive. 
Being animated with the laudable ambition 
fi >r political preferment and his general 
popularity having been long ago well estab- 
lished, it is not strange that his fellow citi- 
zens singled him out for offices of public 
trust, and he held the office of Supervisor of 
Omega township for two terms. He was also 
chairman of the County Board and County 
Board of Review in 1903. He was nomi- 
nated for County Treasurer on the Demo- 
cratic ticket August 4, 1906, by a majority 
of eight hundred and was easily elected over 
a strong opponent the following November, 
and is serving the duties of the office with 



great credit to himself and to the entire 
satisfaction of all concerned, not only his 
constituents but members of other parties 
as well, being generally regarded as one 
of the best officials the county has ever had, 
especially in the Treasurer's office. The 
subject has made his home in Salem since 
December, following the election. 

The subject's happy and harmonious do- 
mestic life dates from September 25, 1892, 
when he was united in marriage to Lillie M. 
Kagy, who was born April 7, 1875, the 
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William B. Kagy, 
a well known, highly respected and influ- 
ential family of Marion county. Mrs. 
Rogers is a highly cultured and accom- 
plished lady of pleasing manner and many 
commendable attributes of mind and heart 
and she presides over their comfortable and 
cozy home with grace and dignity and she is 
popular among the best class of Marion 
county's estimable women. 

The following- bright and interesting chil- 
dren have come into the home of our subject 
and wife, thereby adding cheer and sunshine 
to the family circle: Herschell, born June 
28, 1894 ; Hazel, born October 5, 1897 ; Ver- 
non V., born April 15, 1902, surviving only 
till October 4th, the same year; Rolla, who 
was born August 5, 1904. 

Mr. and Mrs. Rogers are consistent mem- 
bers of the Methodist Episcopal church. 
They are both held in high esteem for their 
friendly manners, wholesome domestic life 
and upright public lives which have resulted 
in winning and retaining the friendship of 
all who know them. 



BIOGRAPHII \l. \NH REMINISCEN1 HISTORY OF 



CARLOS A. FEU1 MAN, M. D. 

He whose name initiates this paragraph is 
a representative of one of the old and 
honored families of Marion county, Illinois, 
where he has lived from the time of his 
birth and whore he has gained personal 

prestige and success in one of the most nohle 

and exacting of all vocations to \\ hich a man 
may devote himself, being engaged in the 
practice of his profession at Salem and con- 
trolling a large Ui^ine^ as physician and 
surgeon, while he has gained precedence h\ 
son of his devotion t" his profession and 
his marked ability as an exponent of ad- 
vanced and practical medical science, at the 
same time establishing a red nil of honor. 

Dr. Carles A. l ; eltman was horn in 
Salem, Illinois, September 11, [856, the son 
of Charles Fcltman. a man of much Sterling 
worth and influence in his community who 
was born in Strausburg, Germany, and was 

one of the earliest * rerman settlers in Marion 
county, Illinois. He was a successful baker 
for many years and later was engaged in 
the mercantile business at which he was 
equally successful, having built up an ex- 
cellent trade with the surrounding country 
districts. He spent nearl) his entire life in 
Salem and passed to his reward in [875. 
The subject's mother, who was a woman of 
m.my admirable attributes, was known in 

her maidenh 1 as Mary Appel. She was 

born in Frankfort-on-the-Main, Germany, 
and sin- p;is..o| to her rest in [888, The 
parents of the subject were married in St. 
Louis, Missouri. They received a fairly 



good education and were people of refine- 
ment and high character, having reared their 
children, of whom there were eight in num- 
ber, in a wholesome atmosphere which 
modified and deeply influenced their subse- 
quent careers. Following are the names of 
their children: Kmil, deceased; Ellen, who 
married R. E. Fletcher and who died in 
I .i.ind Junction, Colorado; H. C, deceased. 
was a prominent attorney at law and was 
-land scribe of the Independent Order of 
( Idd Fellows at the time of his death; Wil- 
liam W. is deceased; the next in order of 
birth was Carlos A., our subject; Lenora, 
deceased; C. E., who is with the Eli Walker 
Dry Goods Company, of St. Louis, Mis- 
souri: R. 11.. who is in the mercantile busi- 
iiess at Grand Junction,' Colorado. 

Doctor Feltman remained a member of 
the home circle until he reached manhood, 
having attended the common schools in 
Salem until he finished the prescribed course 
Being a diligent student he made excellent 
grades and received a good education. He 
went int. 1 newspaper work, believing thai 
journalism offered peculiar attractions. He 
worked as a printer for three years. In the 
meantime he felt that his calling was in 
another direction, the more praiseworthy 
art of medicine, consequently he began 
Studying during spare moments and -finally 
entered the Louisville Medical College at 
Louisville, Kentucky, where he remained 
one term, after which he attended the 
Eclectic Medical Institute at Cincinnati, 
from which he graduated with high honor 
in [882 in the same class with Dr. M. D. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



63 



Foster, the present Congressman from this 
district. Our subject showed from the time 
lie first entered medical college that he had 
a 'peculiar aptitude and unusual talents for 
this line of endeavor and his subsequent life, 
which has been remarkably successful, 
shows that he would have made a grave 
mistake had he adopted any other profes- 
sion as a life work. 

Doctor Feltman returned to his native 
community after graduation, beginning 
practice at Salem. His success was in- 
stantaneous and his ability became so gen- 
erally known that he was selcted to the im- 
portant post of United States Indian Physi- 
cian at Fort Apache, Arizona, during Presi- 
dent Cleveland's first administration. He 
was eminently successful in this new field, 
but he finally desired to return to his native 
state, and in 1888 began practice at Beards- 
town, Illinois, which he carried on with the 
greatest success for a period of fourteen 
years, building up a very large practice and 
becoming City Health Officer, also a mem- 
ber of the Board of Education. He was 
also Secretary of the Pension Board under 
Cleveland's second administration, also Cor- 
oner of Cass county from 1896 to 1900; 
later County Physician of Cass county. Af- 
ter filling all these positions to the entire 
satisfaction of all concerned, showing pro- 
nounced innate executive ability as well as 
superior medical skill, in 1900, greatly to 
the regret of his large patronage, Doctor 
Feltman moved away from Beardstown, lo- 
cating a t hi s old home in Salem. Useless 
to say that his practice was large from the 



first, for he had long ago firmly established 
a reputation here. He is a member of the 
Board of Education at Salem and is County 
Physician. He was nominated by his party 
for Coroner in 1908 and his nomination was 
regarded by not only the Democrats, but 
members of other party affiliations as well, 
to be a most fortunate on. He was elected 
at the ensuing election by a large majority 
over his opponent. 

The domestic life of Doctor Feltman 
dates from January 1, 1888, when he was 
happily married at Salem to Mayme E 
Fulks, the refined and accomplished daugh- 
ter of T. Charles Fulks. She received, a 
fairly good educational training and is a 
representative of a well known and influ- 
ential family. 

Two interesting children, who, in their 
youth, give promise of successful and happy 
future careers, have added cheer and sun- 
shine to the cozy home of Doctor and Mrs. 
Feltman. Their names are Blanche and 
Mabel, nineteen and seventeen years old, 
respectively, in 1908. They are both apt 
students and of winsome personalities. 

Fraternally our subject is a member of 
the Masonic Order, the Woodmen and the 
Independent Order of Foresters, and his 
daily life would indicate that he believes in 
carrying out the sublime precepts of each. 
He is a strict Presbyterian in religious faith. 
However, he is not a member of any church, 
although all his family subscribes to the 
church in Salem. 

Doctor Feltman is of a public-spirited na- 
ture, genial personality, uprightness of prin- 






L'lOC.RAPHICAl \\n REMINISCENT lll-loi;-, Of 



ciple :mk I habits of industry. He is re- 
garded bj the people of Marion county as 
one "i theii ablesl and most eminenl 
ens. 



WILLI \M Mil Bl \m . 

I ho life of the earlj settlers in any com- 
munity has ever contained much to interesl 
and entertain us. rhere is something ro- 
mantic about the ruggedness of their lives 
ami the uncertainties the) had to face which 
holds .1 fascination for us today, rhe family 

the subject of this sketch were among the 

ii habitants of the county in which 

they lived, and the hardworking lives they 

lived were much more eventful than the life 

of the average fanner of today. 

William K. Bundy was born in section 
No. i, Centralia township, Marion county, 
Illinois, "ii May 4. [827, and was the son of 
Frederick ami Mary Bundy. His mother, 
whose maiden name was Wilson, was horn 
in North Carolina, coming from the region 
of the famous Blue Ridge Mountains. Fred- 
erick Bundy was the son '-i Jonathan 
Bundy, of Tennessee, who came to Marion 
county, Illinois, as earl} as 1825 or [826, 
settling near Walnut Hill, where he soon 
afterward died. His wife belonged to a well 
known family of Tennessee named Dorcas. 

ley had four children, all sons — Robert, 
John and William, who settled in the vicin- 
ity of Walnut Hill, and the father of the 
subject of our sketch. Frederick Bundy, who 

tied m section No. 1. Centralia township 



Frederick Bundy's father-in-law, John 

W ilson, married in his native state of North 

Carolina, lie was a tanner who on becom- 
ing attacked with the western fever, went 
westward to Illinois. There he settled north- 
east oi Salem. ( )n the death of his first 

wife he married a widow named Jones. 
Their married years must have been happy 
"lies, for upon a third matrimonial venture 
he espoused another widow named Kelley. 
After a long ami active life he died on the 
farm. The children by his fust wife num- 
bered seven. In regular order they were: 
Mary, Nancy, Jane, Margaret, Samuel. 
Dorrington, and Sylvester. Mary, the < 
est daughter, was the mother of the subject 
of our sketch. The children horn to John 
Wilson's second wife numbered three. 
Frederick Bundy, living in a different 

period from ours, had no chance to go to 
schoi il. His educatii m had to be self-i b 
rained. He did not fail to sieze the oppor- 
tunities which came his way, and SO became 
a remarkably well informed man. At the 
time the famil) came to Illinois the journey 
was made in the old time cumberous team 
wagons. The family of the mother of our 
-ketch also arrived b) means of the same 
mode of tra\ el 

Centralia township at the time Frederick 
Bund) settled there in [826, was as yet in 
its original wild state. W may be supposed. 
wild game and beasts of pre) of man) varie- 
ounded there, particularly wolves 
lie remembered the howls and blood-cur- 
dling "ki-yiings" of the timber-wolves, to 
which he lay awake listening on many a 




WILLIAM BUNDY. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



65 



night inside of the rough log-cabin which he 
had built with his own hands. In time he 
cleared the land and erected for himself a 
suitable home, and otherwise much im- 
proved the property which embraced four 
hundred acres. For years he carried on an 
active fanning business and raised consid- 
erable amount of stock. Frederick Bundy 
was politically a staunch Democrat, and in 
those days he had to go over to Salem at 
election times to record his vote. In reli- 
gious life he was a member of the Christian 
church. His wife died in February, 1848, 
and the demise of the inseparable companion 
of his life's journey was a great loss. He 
died in the fall of 1849, having, however, 
married secondly Elizabeth Walker, and 
leaving a son by that marriage. He had 
eight children by his first wife, the eldest 
of which was the subject of this sketch, 
William K. The others were: Alexander, 
who married first Margaret Breeze, and 
afterwards another member of that family, 
and who is a farmer in Washington ; Nancy 
Jane, deceased, first married James Harper, 
and afterwards Reuben Alderson ; Dorcas 
married Sydney Harmon, both of whom 
are dead; Jeanette, who married, also died; 
John joined the One Hundred and Eleventh 
Regiment, Company H, at the outbreak of 
the Civil war and died while in the service 
of his country ; Robert was also in the Civil 
war, enlisting in Jefferson county, Illinois, 
and died of small pox during his term of 
service; Sallie, another daughter, married 
Thomas J. Hollowell and lives in Washing- 
ton with her husband. 



The life of William Kell Bundy, the sub- 
ject of this sketch, has been an adventurous 

one. In early life he received the limited ' 

education afforded at the only available local 
institutions of learning — the subscription 
schools. He remained at home doing nec- 
essary work on the farm until 1847, when at 
that martial period he enlisted in Company 
C, No. 1, United States army for the Mexi- 
can war. His military career began by his 
being sent to Alton, Illinois, and later to 
Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and later par- 
ticipated in the march across the desert to 
Santa Fe. He was on the march sixty days, 
which was a tedious one. Later he took 
part in the advance upon old Albuquerque, 
the Mexican capital. Here he remained 
until 1848, where he did guard duty, and 
finally marched back. On his return he re- 
mained with his father superintending the 
old homestead until the latter's death, at 
which time he bought forty acres of it, on 
which he lived for fifteen years. In 1863 
he changed to his present abode in section 
No. 6, Raccoon township. At different times 
the area of his land increased until he had at 
one time three hundred and fifty acres; the 
greater part of which he has since divided 
among his children. All the improvements 
on the place have been the fruits of his 
labor and supervision. He has principally 
raised stock on the farm, cattle, horses, 
sheep and hogs, and has also evinced an . 
interest in the fancy and finer breeds. 

William K. Bundy married first Eliza- 
beth, the daughter of Isaac and Sarah Mc- 
Clelland. Isaac was an early settler in Ma- 



III. 



I: RAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT MIMnks nl 



rion county, Illinois, near Walnut Hill. He 
followed the occupation of farmer and stock 
dealer, On the death of his firs) wife, Mr. 

Bundy married .1 second time on October 
20, [887, Mildred A.nnie Gaines, of Sumner 
county, near Nashville, Tennessee. She was 
the daughter of Henry (iaines. Her mother's 
own name was Marian Bradley, Of Nash- 
ville. Tennessee, They came to Marion 
county, [llinois, in 1850, and settled in Ste- 
venson township. There Henry Haines and 
his wife farmed during the remainder of 
their lives. He died in [850, and his wife 
in [856. 'They had eight children, of which 
Mildred Annie, the second wife of William 
K. Bundy, was the seventh. Of the others. 
Hazel married C. Tracy; P. D. is a farmer 
in Stevenson township; Josephine, the third. 
is dead; Martha is also dead; Henrietta E., 
the widow of Sidney Charlton, lives in Odin 
township; Agnes is still on the farmstead 
and is single; Z, T. lives in Jefferson 
count v. 'The second marriage of William 
K. Bundy has given him the following chil- 
dren, seven in number. Mary Rebecca, the 
wife of John French; Sarah Jane, who is 
Mrs, Robinson, living at Sedalia, Washing 
ton; Elizabeth, who married John l.amont. 
since deceased, lives in Oklahoma; Joseph- 
ine, who married ' ieoi ge \\ est, of < )din 

township; Isaac M., who is a fanner in Rac 

on township married Sarah Johnson; 

Fred, who lives al home and is unmarried, 

went through the Spanish American war as 
a member of Company G, Third Regiment 

I" S. another child. Catherine died young. 

mgh now in his eighty-second year. 

William Kell Bundy possesses a mind of un- 



usual transparency. He is still well able to 
review in detail the memories and exploits 
of a long and varied career. 

In politics the subject of our sketch is a 
life-Ions;' follower of the Democracy. His 
first vote for a presidential candidate was 
recorded years ago when it went to J allies 

K. Polk, who figured in an eventful election. 

In religion he is a member of the Christian 
church, in the interests of which he has ever 
been active. He is now in the mellow period 
of a long life which has always been at the 
service of home and country. lie has ful- 
filled the duties of a long life; he is sur- 
rounded by an affectionate circle of sons and 
daughters ; he has the friendship and good 
wishes of a host of friends. Is not this as 
much as any of us can hope for in the even- 
ing of life 



CR VWFORD S. ERWIN. 

No man in Clay county occupies a more 
enviable position in civic and business af- 
fairs than the subject of this sketch, wh « is 
the well known and popular ex-Circuit 
Clerk of the count), not alone on account 
of the success he has achieved, but also on 
account of the honorable, straightforward 
business policj he has ever followed both in 
public and private life. He possesses un- 
tiring energy, is quick of perception, forms 
his plans readily and executes them with 
alacrity so that he stands today one of the 
leading representatives of a county widely 
known for its men of force and business 
acumen. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



67 



Crawford S. Erwin was bom in Hoosier 
township, Clay county, October 9. 1866, the 
son of David, the son of William Erwin, 
a native of Indiana, who was a cabinet 
maker by trade, having come from Indiana 
to Illinois in an early day and engaged in 
the cabinet making business, also in farm- 
ing. He was called to his rest August 7. 
1866, six weeks before our subject was born. 
William Erwin, the subject's grandfather, 
was one of the pioneers of Clay county, hav- 
ing come to America from Scotland, his na- 
tive country, when a young man. He was 
the first person buried in the old Hoosier 
cemetery in Hoosier township. The mother 
of the subject was known in her maiden- 
hood as Eliza A. Fitzgerald, whose people 
were originally from Scotland. She passed 
tn her rest in Hoosier township in the spring 
of 1890. Five children were born to the 
subject's parents as follows: Mayberry P.. 
living in Henrietta. Texas: David S.. liv- 
ing in Clay county, Illinois; Joseph, in Hen- 
rietta. Texas; W. G.. who is also a resi- 
dent of Clay county; Crawford S.. the sub- 
ject. 

Mr. Erwin spent his early life on the 
farm, attending the country schools during 
the winter months, and assisting with the 
work at home in the summer. He was left 
to be reared by a widowed mother, who was 
too poor to aid in her son's education, and 
thus our subject was compelled to begin his 
fight with the world early in life practically 
unaided and the admirable way he has suc- 
ceeded in the face of seemingly insurmount- 
able obstacles, deserves the commendation 
of all. When be was "nine years old, the 



family moved to Texas, where they remained 
four years. During this time the children 
were deprived of the advantages of a good 
school. Desiring to return to the Illinois 
In ime, the family made the trip overland in 
a wagon, a distance of twelve hundred miles, 
in the fall and winter of 1880, having 
reached Hoosier township shortly after 
Christmas, during the coldest weather that 
the country had known for years. Craw- 
ford S. at once entered school at Center, 
under the Rev. John F. Harmon, now sta- 
tioned in East St. Louis. Three terms of 
school were attended here by our subject. 
He was an excellent student, for he had now 
reached young manhood and he realized 
that if he succeeded in life, he would be 
compelled to prepare himself for some of 
the professions or commercial life, for he 
was physically unfit ti 1 fi >lli >w the hard-work- 
ing life of a farmer. He was enabled to 
gratify his ambition to become an educated 
man by working out on the farm during 
the summer months, and with the money 
he thus secured he entered the Northern In- 
diana Normal School at Valparaiso. Indi- 
ana, in which institution he made a splendid 
record fi ir scholarship. 

He decided to become a teacher and be- 
fore he was eighteen years old had secured 
his first certificate and had taught his first 
school, which was a pronounced success. . 
His services were then in great demand for 
the ensuing ten years which he devoted to 
teaching in Clay count} - , becoming generally 
known as an able educator. Most of that 
time he taught in only two school districts, 



68 



BIOGRAPHICAL \\l> REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



meanwhile devoting the summer months to 
farming. 

\ 1 >■ >i 1 1 this time Mr. Erwin secured the 
appointment of government mail weigher i n 
the Vandalia line, which position he filled 
so satisfactorily that he was within two 
years thereafter re-appointed government 
mail weigher on the main line of the Balti- 
more & Ohio Southwestern Railroad, ip- 
erating between Cincinnati and St, Louis. 
Ilis official reports quickly enabled the corn- 
pan) to see his abilit) in this line and he 
was placed part of his time in the office of 
the chief clerk to assist in the examination 
of the reports sent in l>v his fellow-officers. 

Mr. Erwin was called home in 1894 to 
till the position of Deput) County Clerk, 
the duties of which he discharged in such a 
creditable manner that he became candidate 
for the office of Circuit Court Clerk in [896, 
and was elected, on the Republican ticket, 
and discharged his duties to the entire sat- 
isfacti m of all concerned and was re-elected 
in 1900. and again in [904, his term having 
expired December 7. 1908. Tt is the con- 
census of opinion that he has been the best 
Circuit Clerk the county has ever had. 

The official and private life of Mr. Er- 
win has ever been an open 1» « >k to all. for 
it has been led along conservative lines, 
honest and with: nit blemish, lacking the 
faintest shadow or suspicion of evil. His 
donations to charitable purposes and to his 
needy neighbors and fellow citizens since 
his residence in Louisville have amounted t<> 

eral hundred dollars. He has always 
been ready to assisl in aiding any worthy 
cause. Tt has been bis custom foi a number 



of years at Christmas time to gather to- 
gether provisions, and quietly boxing 
them up himself ami employing a teamster 

to deliver the same to the unfortunate and 
needy in his community. So unostentatious 
has this charity been bestowed that the do- 
nor is known to hut few of his beneficiaries 
b 1 this day. 

Mr. Erwin was united in marriage I De- 
cember i_'. t886, t" Sarah Belle Conley, 
daughter of \V. A. Conley, of I lousier town 
ship. She was horn and reared in Clay 
county, and is a woman of beautiful per- 
sonal attributes. The following children 
have been horn of this union: May, whi 
age in [908 is twenty years; Jennie is 
eighteen years old; Wilbur Esta is fifteen 
years old; (,'rawford Leslie is eleven; Ice- 
land is seven and Kenneth is four. 

Upon his retirement from office. Mr. Er- 
win entered the real estate and abstract busi- 
ness in December, [908. He is thoroughly 
familiar with abstracting, having followed 
tin- while in office. He also owns a farm 
in Louisville township, and one in Bible 
I irove township, and also a half interest in a 
farm in Hoosier township, and another 
tract of land in Arkansas. He is also in- 
terested in Stock raising and stock trading. 

Mr. Erwin's laud is well improved and 
ranks well with any in the count}', and he al- 
ways keeps a g 1 grade of stock. 1 le is inter- 
ested in the concrete business, manufactur- 
ing concrete blocks and other forms of con- 
crete work, the firm name being Clark & 
Erwin. 

• Mir subject is Public Administrator of 
Clay county. In his fraternal relations he 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



6 9 



belongs to the Masonic Order, the Inde- 
pendent Order of Odd Fellows, and the 
Knights of Pythias. He was secretary of 
the local Masonic lodge, at Louisville, No. 
196, for ten consecutive years. He is a 
member of the Methodist Episcopal church 
and has always been a loyal Republican, 
burn and bred in the principles of that party, 
but the most partisan Democrat was ever 
treated with the same courtesy by him as 
the most pronounced Republican. During 
his term in office Mr. Erwin has never been 
too busy to accommodate anyone seeking in- 
formation on any subject whether pertaining 
to the matters of the office of Circuit Clerk 
or legal advice on any foreign subject, and 
no one ever went away from him wrongly 
advised, or feeling that what he had obtained 
had been grudgingly given. Hundreds of 
people in Clay county, having no regular 
attorney to attend to their legal business, 
and wishing an agreement, a contract, or 
an affidavit drawn up, have found our sub- 
ject ever willing to assist as best he could. 

Mr. and Mrs. Erwin have a beautiful 
hi line, where hospitality and good cheer are 
ever unstintingly dispersed to their many 
friends and admirers. 



J. T. JONES, M. D. 

The physician who would succeed in his 
profession must possess many qualities of 
head and heart not included in the curricu- 
lum of the schools and colleges he may 



have attended. In analyzing the career of 
the successful practitioner of the healing 
art it will invariably be found true that a 
broad-minded sympathy with the sick and 
suffering and an honest, earnest desire to 
aid his afflicted fellow men have gone hand 
in hand with skill and able judgment. The 
gentleman to whom this brief tribute is 
given fortunately embodies these necessary 
qualifications in a marked degree and by 
energy and application to his professional 
duties is building up an enviable reputation 
and drawing to himself a large and re- 
munerative practice, being recognized as one 
of the leading physicians of this locality and 
a man of honor and integrity at all times. 

Dr. J. T. Jones was born in Foster town- 
ship, Marion county, Illinois, August 26, 
1 861, and "his sober wishes never learned 
to stray," consequently he has preferred to 
remain on his native prairie rather than seek 
uncertain fortunes elsewhere. His father is 
Eli W. Jones, a native of the same township 
and county. Grandfather James Jones was 
an early pioneer of Marion county and a 
man of many sterling qualities which have 
outcropped in our subject to a marked de- 
gree. He was a Southerner of the finest 
type. His residence was used in an early 
dav for the purpose of holding church ser- 
vices, he being an active and anient Metho- 
dist. He is living at this writing, 1908, in 
Foster township on a line farm where he 
has become influential and widely known. 
He was Circuit Clerk from 1872 to 1876. 
He makes his home at present in Vernon. 
He was a soldier in Company H. Twenty- 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCEN1 HISTORY OF 



sixth Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry, 
and he served through the war. having 
marched with Sherman to the sea and lost 
battle at Bentom ille, North 
Carolina, the last battle foughl by Sherman. 
He was in many hard foughl battles of the 
Army of the [Tennessee, being in the Fif- 
teenth Arm) Corps, and in all he took part 
in about thirty engagements. \fter the 
war he returned to his farm. The maiden 
name of the mother of the subject was 
Mary Ryman, a native of Pennsylvania. 
Her father was Dr. J. R. Ryman. who was 
an earlj Methodist minister, later becoming 
a physician. lie came to Marion county 
when a young man. and was at one time 
Circuit Clerk of the county and also School 
Commissioner, being one of the founders 
of the Western Christian Advocate at St. 
Louis, Missouri, lie died about 1877. 
The nn iiher of the subject is living at this 
writing'. Three children were burn to these 
parent-, our subject being the only one now 
living. The subject's maternal grandmother 
was Martha Dickens, a daughter of Samuel 
Dickens, a pioneer Baptist minister. 

Doctor Jones spent his boyhood on his 
father's farm, attending the country 
schools at Fosterburg, ami when the family 
came to Salem in 1S7J he attended school in 
in Salem in [872 he attended school in 
Salem from 1X7-' t.> 1878, graduating from 
the high school here in 1878 with high 
honor. After leaving seln.nl he clerked one 
year in a Store at Vernon, but believing that 
his true calling lay along medical li 
rather than the mercantile, be began the 



study .if medicine, making rapid progress 
from the first. lie entered the St. Louis 
Medical College in [880 from which he 
graduated in March. 1884, having made a 
brilliant record for scholarship. Ik- lo 
cated tirst at Warsaw, Missouri, practicing 
there with eminent success until [889, when, 
much t" the regret of his many friends and 
patients, he left that town and came to Ver- 
non, Illinois, where he remained, building up 
a lucrative practice, until 1907. in which 
\ear he came to Salem, having moved bis 
family here a year previous. Doctor Jones 
took a post graduate course in the medical 
department of the University of St. Louis in 
[906. lie has been very successful in his 
practice in .Marion county, having a large 
business at present and he is often called to 
other localities 011 serious and important 
cases where his superior medical advice is 
sought b) local practitioners whose skill has 
been baffled, and bis counsels are always 
followed by gratifying results. 

The domestic life of our subject dates 
from April 25, 1891, when he was united 
in marriage with Carrie E. Bennett, who 
was born and reared in Salem, the accom- 
plished and refined daughter of J. J. Ben- 
nett, an early pioneer of Marion county and 
was the tirst president of the Salem Na- 
tional Bank, which position he held until 
within a few years of his death. Mary 
Oglesby was the maiden name of the sub- 
ject's mother, who was the first girl baby 
born in Salem. Her great-grandfather, 
Mark Tully. entered land on which the city 
.if Salem is built. He gave the site where 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES. ILLINOIS. 



/I 



the court house stands. This family was 
one of the best known in the early history 
of the county. 

Our subject and wife have two children, a 
bright boy and a winsome girl, the former, 
Don Paul, having been born January 28, 
1892, and the latter, Nellie, was born May 
22, 1895. 

Doctor Jones has been thrifty and has 
accumulated a fair competence as a result 
of his well directed energies. He owns a 
valuable and highly improved farm in Fos- 
ter township, and has numerous real estate 
holdings in Marion county. He is a member 
of the county, state and national medical 
associations, and he belongs to the Masonic 
Fraternity, the Independent Order of Odd 
Fellows, the Woodmen, the Sons of Vet- 
erans and the Yeomen. 

The home of Dr. and Mrs. Jones is 
modern, cozy, nicely furnished and is pre- 
sided over with rare grace and dignity by 
the latter who is often hostess to warm 
friends who hold her in high esteem. This 
worthy couple is regarded by all classes as 
meriting the confidence and regard which 
are unqualifiedly proffered to them. 



O. A. JAMES. 

The subject of this sketch is not the 
example of a man whom the inscrutable 
caprice of fortune or fate has suddenly 
placed in a conspicuous position in the busi- 
ness world but he has attained to the same 



through careful preparation during long 
years of toil and endeavor, for he realized 
early in his career that success comes to 
the deserving, and that to be deserving, one 
must be industrious and persistent, so he 
forged ahead, surmounting obstacles that 
would have daunted and diverted the course 
of less courageous spirits. 

O. A. James, the popular and efficient 
assistant cashier of the Salem State Bank, 
who has, while yet a young man, left the 
indelible imprint of his personality upon 
the people with whom he has come in con- 
tact, was born in Salem, Illinois, in 1879. 

He is the son of Joshua L. James, a native 
of Middle Tennessee and the representative 
of a fine old Southern family. He came to Il- 
linois in 1853, settling in Williamson county, 
where he lived for twenty-five years, having 
been reasonably prosperous during that time 
and becoming known as a hard worker and 
a man of the best habits. He then came to 
Marion county, settling near Alma, where 
he also remained a quarter of a century, de- 
veloping a good farm and making a com- 
fortable living by reason of his habits of 
industry and economy. Desiring to spend 
the remaining years of his life in the city 
and enjoy a respite from his arduous agri- 
cultural pursuits, Mr. James moved to 
Salem in 1902 and he has since made his 
home here. 

The grandfather of the subject on his 
paternal side was John Wesley James, a 
native of Tennessee, and an excellent farmer 
who passed to his rest about 1893 after a 
long and honorable life. His death occurred 



/ - 



BIOGRAPHICA1 VND REMINISCEN1 HISTORY OF 



in Williams,. ii county, tins state, where he 
spenl the major pari of Ins life. 

foseph I. Wnorowski, the subject's 
grandfather on his mother's side, was born 
in Russia and received his education in the 
cit) of Moscow. He came to America when 
thirty years old, finally settling in Salem. 
Illinois, where he spent his remaining years, 
«l\ ing abi ml [890. 

rhe subject's mother was known in her 
maidenhood as Sophia E. Wnorowski, who 
was born ami reared in Salem where she 
received a common school education and 
developed man) praiseworth) character- 
istics. She is living at this writing 1 C908). 
Six children were born to the parents of the 
subject, five of whom are still living, 
named in order of birth as Eol 
lows: Mrs. Florence Brasel, of Cartter, Illi- 
nois; O. V. "in subject; Mrs. Berdie E. 
Stroment, living in Salem, this count) ; Guy 
1... of Wooden, towa; Mrs. Jesse Brasel, 
living at Terre I taute, Indiana. 

rhese children all received a good com- 
mon scl ling and were reared in a home 

"i the mosl wholesome atmosphere, conse- 
quentl) they have developed characters of a 
\er\ commendable t\ pe 

Our subject attended the common 

schools of Salem, from which lie gradu- 

111 [897. Bui being amibitious for 

more learning and to become a teacher, he 

lat( Cat bondale State Normal 

School for Some time. Nol yel satisfied he 

entered Austin College at Effingham; then 

oui se in the Eastern State Ni irmal 

at Charleston, thus gaining a splendid edu- 



cation, for lie made a brilliant record for 
scholarship m all these institutions. 

After leaving scl I he began teaching, 

which he followed in a ni"si successful ami 
praiseworthy manner for a period of five 
years, having taught three years in Marion 
county public schools, one year as principal 

at ( enlral ( it\ . Ilhm Ms, ami one year as 

principal of the high school at Kinmundy, 

in all of which he showed that he not only 
had acquired a greal fund of serviceable 
knowledge which he had a penchant for 

readily and clcarh dispensing, hut that he 

possessed the othei necessary prerequisites 

of head and heart to make a first class and 
a high grade educator, and his reputation 
had overspread the bounds of Marion 

county, causing his services to he in great 

demand, when, much to the regret of pupils 
and school hoards he gave up his teaching 
and accepted the position as assistant post- 
master at Salem the duties of which he at- 
tended to in a most able manner for a period 

of two years, when he resigned to become 
I (eput) * nctnt Clerk, having been appointed 
for a period of four years, and here he 
again displayed his great innate ability as 
a careful and painstaking business man by 
handling the duties devolving upon tins po 
sition with all dispatch and alacrity and in 
a most satisfactory manner to all concerned, 
when after a year in this office he tendered 
his resignation to become assistant cashier in 
the Salem State Hank, which \ei\ respon- 
sible and envied position had been proffered 
by the heads of that institution after the) 
had carefulh considered the names n\ many 



RICHLAND, CLAY AXD MARION COUNTIES, I I.I.I XI US. 



73 



young and talented business men for the 
place, believing that Mr. James was the 
best qualified to handle the work in this con- 
nection, and the praiseworthy manner and 
wonderful technical skill he has displayed in 
this responsible position since taking up the 
duties of the same, shows that the man- 
agers of this institution were wise in their 
decision and selection. Mr. James is still 
thus connected with the Salem State Bank 
and has given entire satisfaction and in- 
creased the popularity and prestige of this 
already popular and sound institution. 

Mr. James is a member of the Independ- 
ent Order of Odd Fellows and the Wood- 
men, in his fraternal relations, and he is a 
faithful and consistent member of the Chris- 
tian church. He is known to be scrupu- 
lously honest, courteous and a gentleman of 
the highest address and honor and owing to 
the fact that our subject is yet quite a young 
man and has achieved such a place of honor 
and trust the future augurs great things 
for him. 



J. R. QUAYLE. 



The subject has always sought to in- 
culcate in the minds of the young the higher 
things of life, the beauties of mind and soul 
known only to those who are willing to de- 
vote themselves to a career of self-sacrifice, 
hospitality, persistency and uprightness, and 
during the long years of his professional 
life Mr. Ouayle succeeded in carrying out 



the principles in his daily life that he sought 
to impress upon others. 

J. R. Ouayle was born in Peoria county, 
Illinois, December 5, 1859, the son of Rob- 
ert Quayle, a native of the Isle of Man, a 
full blooded Manxman. He was an influ- 
ential and high minded man, whose sterling 
traits are somewhat reflected in the life of 
his son. our subject. He migrated to 
America about 1856, locating first in Henry 
county, Illinois, where he farmed. After 
living there for a short time he moved to 
Peoria county, later to Marion county in 
January, 1866. He was a hard worker and 
made a success of whatever he undertook. 
He was called from his labors in Septem- 
ber, 1879, while living in Marion county. 
He was a great Bible student and he read 
and talked the Manx language fluently. 
James Ouayle. grandfather of the subject, 
was born, reared and spent his entire life 
on the Isle of Man, and his death occurred 
there. His wife was a Miss Harrison, who 
reached the remarkable age of ninety-six 
years. 

The mother of the subject was Ellen 
(Corlett) Ouayle, also a native of the Isle 
of Man, where she, too, was reared, and 
where she married Robert Ouayle. She 
was a woman of many estimable traits, hav- 
ing led a wholesome life and in her old age 
was the recipient of many kindnesses at the 
hands of her many friends and neighbors.' 

She made her home on the old homestead 
near Vernon, Marion county, until her 
death. September 6, 1908, where the Ouayle 



k \ !■ 1 1 h \\. VND REMINIS( IN I III- fOItt 01 



family moved in [866. Hiis family con- 
ed of the following children, named in 
order of their birth: Elizabeth, who died 
in t88o; J. R., our subject; \ima. the wife 
of Nathan Roberts, of Patoka, this count) ; 
Thomas E., who lives in sei tion 1 2, this 
county, "ii .1 farm; James i '.. also a fanner 
in Patoka township, Marion county; Kate, 
who is the wife of J. C. Bates, of Patoka 
nship; .\1«'I1k\ who makes her home with 
her mother; Mona, the wife of G. I. Arnold, 
of Foster township, Marion county. 

These children are all comfortably situ- 

1 in life and received g 1 common 

school education. They are all highly re- 
spected and lead such well regulated lives as 
their parents outlined for them in their 
childhi iod. 

I. R. Quayle, our subject, attended the 
countrj east of Vernon mud 1N80, 

working at intervals on his father's farm, 
lie was always a close student and made the 
most of his opportunities. After complet- 
ing the course in the common schools he 
was iK it satisfied with the knowledge he had 
gained and entered school in the University 
at Valparaiso, Indiana, taking the teachers' 
course, also a commercial course He made 
a brilliant record at this institution for 
trship and go. id depi 
I '.eh' ' was his proper 

field of activitj Mr. Quayle began his fust 
school in (878 and he taughl the major pari 
of the time up to 1906 with i itest 

success attending his efforts, during which 
time he became widely known not onl) 111 
Marion hut adjoining counties as an able 
ind his services were in great de- 



mand, lie was not only well grounded in 
the oks employed in the schools 

wlieie he taughl hut his pleasing personality 

made him popular with his pupils, the vari- 
ous phase- of whose natures he seemed to 

understand and sympathize with, so that he 
inspired each one to do his best in the work 
at hand, and many of his pupils have su 
won distinction in various lines of endeavor, 
all freely admitting that their success was 
due in a large measure to the training and 
influence of Mr. Quayle. The teaching of 
our subject was confined to Marion county 
with the exception of two years which were 
spent in Fayette county, where he also be- 
came pi >pular. 

Mr. Quayle has been twice married. I lis 
first wedding occurred January S, 1889, to 
l.yda E. Livesay, the accomplished daughter 
of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Livesay, a well 
known family of Patoka township, Marion 
county, and to this union four children wi 
born as follows : Guy, born in [891, died at 
the age of seven years; Gladys I-"... horn in 
i8<jj : Fanny, now deceased, who was born 
in [897; Roberta, who was horn in 1900. 

tie subject's firsl wife was called to her 
rest m June, [906, and Mr. Quayle was 
married December 15. 1007. to Ida M 
Quails, daughter of Ufred Quails. She is 
a member of an influential famil) of Salem 
and w as h, »rn and reared there. 

Mr. Quayle has been an influential f. 
in polities in his county, always assisting in 
placing the best local men available in the 
count) offices and his support can always 
be depended upon in furthering any worthy 
movemenl looking to the better interest of 



RICHLAND. CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



/ 3 



the community and county. In 1883, 1888 
and 1889 he was Tax Collector of Patoka 
township, having been easily elected to this 
office and performed the duties of it in a 
most satisfactory manner. He was chosen 
by his friends to the responsible position of 
Supervisor in 1901 and 1902 and elected 
County Clerk on the Democratic ticket in 
1906, and is now, 1908, serving his first 
term. He is said to be one of the ablest men 
in this office that the county has ever had, 
being careful and painstaking as well as 
congenial and friendly so that all his con- 
stituents are very highly pleased with his 
record. They predict that he will become a 
\ cry potent factor in local politics in the 
near future. 

Mr. Quayle is a member of the Masonic 
fraternity, the Independent Order of Odd 
Fellows, the Eastern Star, the Rebekahs 
and the Woodmen. He takes a great deal 
of interest in lodge work and his daily life 
would indicate that he believes in carrying 
out the noble precepts of these commendable 
orders. 

Mr. Quayle is not only a public-spirited 
and honorable man in his official and busi- 
ness life, but he leads a most wholesome 
home life and sets a worthy example for his 
children and others, delighting in the higher 
ideals of life as embraced in educational, 
civic and religious matters. Both he and 
his wife are members of the Methodist 
Episcopal church and no people in Marion 
county are the recipients of higher respect 
and genuine esteem from their many friends 
than they. 



HENRY WARREN. 

Prominent among the energetic, far- 
sighted and successful business men of 
Marion county, Illinois, is the subject of this 
sketch, whose life history most happily il- 
lustrates what may be attained by faithful 
and continued effort in carrying out an hon- 
est purpose. Integrity, activity and energy 
have been the crowning points in his career 
and have led to desirable and creditable suc- 
cess. His connection with banking institu- 
tions and various lines of business has been 
of decided advantage to the entire com- 
munity, promoting its welfare along various 
lines in no uncertain manner, while at the 
same time he has made an untarnished rec- 
ord and unspotted reputation as a business 
man. 

Henry Warren, the widely known bank 
president and gallant Civil war veteran of 
Kinmundy, Marion county, Illinois, was 
born in this county in 1845, the son of Asa 
Warren and his mother's maiden name was 
Sina Howell. Grandfather Hnwell was sup- 
posed to have come from Virginia, settling 
with the pioneers in Marion county, Illinois, 
in a very early day. and spending his life 
on a farm doing much for the upbuilding 
of the community. He entered land from 
the government on which he spent the re- 
mainder of his life and on which he reared 
his family. He lived to be more than- 
eighty years of age. He was a member of 
the old Hardshell Baptist church, as was 
also his wife. One of the first log churches 
built in this community was erected on his 



76 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



farm, of which he was one of the principal 
supporters, The major portion of his 
neighbors were Indians when he firsl came 
this county, and the woods and prairies 
teemed with wild game of nearly all species 
ami varieties. There wen- bul few settle- 
ments in the county at thai nme. The 
green Flies were so thick and aggressive that 
people could not cross the prairies in the 
day time during pan of the year. He man- 
aged this farm until his death which then 
fell to his heirs. All of the second genera- 
tion of Howells have passed on to their 

rest. 

Asa Warren, father of our subject, came 
from Tennessee to Illinois when a young 
man and entered laud from the government. 
Mr sold out in time and moved to Texas 
where he died when fifty-five years of age. 
being survived by four children, three of 
whom were boys, lie was a man of much 
influence, integrity and force of character, 
lie was a gallant soldier in the Mexican 
war. having served until peace was declared 
after which he returned to Illinois. He fol- 
lowed farming all his life. Both he and his 
wife belonged to the old school Baptists. 
The subject's mother was called to her rest 
;it about the age of forty years. She was 
a kindly and good woman in every respect. 

I lenry Warren, our subject, was reared in 
Marion county, Illinois, having attended the 
imon and district schools, part of the 
tune in old log school-houses with their 
primitive furnishings. lie worked most of 
the year On his father's farm during his 
schoi '1 daj s He wa twelve years , ,ld 



when he accompanied his father to Texas. 
and he returned from the Lone Star state to 
Illinois one year after his father's death. 
the home place in Texas having been sold. 
Then our subject worked out as a farm 
hand, sometimes receiving only eight dol- 
lars a month, continuing as a farm hand for 
twelve years. He then rented land for two 
years. Then he married and boughl eighty 
acres of land which he improved and made 
int. i a go. id farm i m w hich he lived for ahout 
thirty-eight years, which were prosperous, 
in the main, and during which he laid up a 
competency for the future. From time to 
time he added to his original eighty until 
he finally had eight hundred acres, all of 
which was in cultivation and kept in a high 
state of improvement and efficiency. He 
drained this large tract of laud and securely 
fenced it with wood and wire. Substantial 
and modern buildings, a large dwelling. 
two barns and other out buildings were 
erected, and the place, which Mr. Warren 
still owns, is one of Marion county's model 
farms. While he still looks after the farm 
be keeps it rented. When our subject gave 
his personal attention to this place it v 
in somewhat better condi d he devoted 

him time largely to grass and stock. 

Mr. Warren moved to Kinmundy in 1896 
and one year later opened under the mosl 
favorable auspices what is known as the 
Warren Banking Company's establishment, 
which met with instantaneous success and 
is todaj regarded as one of the most sub 

intial and safest institution- of it- kind 
in this part of the state. He is president 



RICHLAND, (LAY AND MARION COUNTIES, [ILLINOIS. 



77 



of the same, having filled this position with 
much credit to his ability and the satisfac- 
tion of the many patrons of the bank since 
its establishment. His son, Henry L., who 
was made cashier at the organization of 
the concern, is still ably attending to these 
duties. Mr. Warren owns the substantial 
building in which the business of the firm 
is conducted. He also owns a large, com- 
fortable, modern and elegantly furnished 
dwelling house besides other buildings on 
the same street where he lives in Kinmundy. 
He deserves much credit for the wealth he 
has amassed partly because of the fact that 
he started life empty handed and has made 
it unaided, and partly because he has not a 
single dishonest dollar in his possession, hav- 
ing always been scrupulously honest in his 
dealings with his fellow men. During the 
last panic and bank depression his was the 
only bank that kept open in the county. 

Mr. Warren was first married in 1867 to 
Mary C. Nichols, a native of this county, 
the accomplished daughter of Robert 
Nichols, and to this union the following 
children were born : William, born October 
6, 1 868, now a farmer and minister in Jef- 
ferson county, Illinois, to whom two chil- 
dren were born; Harry L., born September 
1, 1 87 1, is living in Kinmundy associated 
with his father in the banking business, and 
who is married and the father of one child; 
Charley W., born March 21, 1874, is as- 
sistant cashier in the bank, being married 
and the father of one child, Lowel F., born 
October 27, 1897. 

Mr. Warren's first wife passed to her rest 



in 1003. and the subject was again married 
in 1906, his last wife being Ida Shriver, 
a native of Marion county and the daughter 
of William Schriver, who was a native of 
Ohio. One child has been born to this 
union. May Margaret, whose date of birth 
fell on January 14, 1908. 

Mr. Warren was one of the patriotic de- 
fenders of the flag during the dark days of 
the sixties when the fierce fires of rebellion 
were undermining the pillars of our national 
government, and he enlisted in Company E, 
One Hundred and Thirty-sixth Illinois 
Volunteer Infantry, in which he served with 
credit and distinction to the close of the war 
and was honorably discharged. He draws 
a disability pension of twelve dollars. One 
brother, Larkin A. Warren, was also a sol- 
dier, having been a member of Sixth Mis- 
souri Cavalry. He died at New Orleans 
while in the army, after having served out 
his first enlistment of three years, and it 
was toward the close of the struggle when 
he was attacked by a disease while in line 
of duty from which he did not recover. 

Our subject is a loyal Republican and in 
religious affiliations is a liberal subscriber 
and supporter of the Presbyterian church. 
Mr. Warren's methods are progressive and 
he is quick to adopt new ideas which he be- 
lieves will prove of practical value in his 
work. Indolence and idleness are entirely 
foreign to his nature and owing to his close 
application to his business and his honorable 
methods he has won prosperity that is richly 
merited, while he enjoys the friendship and 
esteem of the people of Marion county. 



7« 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCEN1 HISTORY <H 



FR WK \. BJ >YNTON. 

ough struggles to triumph -coins to 
be the maxim which holds -way for the ma- 
joritj of our citizens and, though it is un- 
deniably true that many a one falls ex- 
hausted in the conflict, a few by their in- 
herent force of character and strong men- 
tality rise above their environments and all 
which seems to hinder them until they 
reach the plane of affluence. It is not the 
weaklings that accomplish worthy ends in 
the face of opposition but those with nerve 
and initiative whose motto is, "He never 
fails who never gives up." and with this 
terse aphorism ever in view, emblazoned on 
the pillar of clouds, as it were, before them. 
they forge ahead until the sunny summits 
of life are reached and they can breath a 
breath of the purer air that inspires the 
-■uls of men in respite. Such has been the 
history of Frank A. Boynton and in his life 
record many useful lessons may be gained. 

Mr. Boynton was bom four miles east of 
Salem in Stevenson township, April 18, 
iSiu, the son of John Boynton, a native oi 
I laverhill. Scioto county, Ohio, who came to 
Illinois about [859, settling on the farm on 
which his widow now resides. John Boyn- 
ton was a prosperous and influential farmer 
all his life. He ably served a- school di- 
rector of Ste\ens<m town-hip for many 

ars, and after a very successful and useful 
life lie pa— ed away in i<)00. 

The grandfather of the subject on his pa- 
ternal side was \-a Boynton, who was a 



native of I laverhill, Massachusetts, who mi- 
grated to Ohio in an early day and settled 
on the French "grant" in Ohio, and the 
place where he settled was named 1 laverhill. 
after the Massachusetts town from whence 
he came. lie was, like many of the early 
pioneers, a man of sterling qualities, brave 
and a hard worker. 

The subject's mother was Eliza Copen- 
hagen, horn near Tronton, Ohio, on the land 
where the town is situated. Her people 
came from Virginia, having been among 
the tine old Southern families who migrated 
fnun that state to Ohio in the early day-. 
She has made her home on the old home- 
Stead in Stevenson town-hip from that time 
to the present day, and there she is held in 
highest esteem by a host of acquaintances 
and friends. Eight children were born to 
Mr. and Mr-. John Boynton, -i\ of whom 
are living at this writing (1908). Their 
name- are: A-a died when fourteen years 
old; Frank, our subject: Elmer, of Salem. 
Illinois; Lucy who passed to her rest in 
1905; Loren K.. of Ruleville, Mississippi; 
|ohn Ellis, who lives with his mother in 
Stevenson township; Delmont, who live- in 
Stevenson township on a farm joining the 
parental homestead; Ida. who lives with her 
mother. 

Frank A. Boynton, our subject, -pent his 
boyhood under the parental roof and re- 
ceived his primary education in the I'.ru- 
baker school in Stevenson township. He 
worked on the farm during hi- voting man- 
hood and he has always been identified with 



RICHLAND. CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



79 



farming interests ; lie now owns a fine farm, 
highly improved and very productive, lo- 
cated in the northern part of Stevenson 
township. It consists of over five hundred 
acres, and no more choice land is to be 
found in this locality. He went to Wheeler, 
Jasper county, Illinois, in 1891, and was a 
storekeeper and gauger there where he re- 
mained for two years, making a success of 
his enterprise, but he returned to his farm 
in Stevenson township and in about 1903 
came to Salem and is now engaged in the 
real estate and loan business with offices in 
L. M. Kagy's law office. He helped organ- 
ize the Salem State Bank of which he is a 
heavy stockholder and director. He operated 
a threshing machine for twelve years with 
great success in Stevenson township, and he 
has been a stock shipper the greater part of 
his life. 

Thus we see that Mr. Boynton has been 
a very busy man, and also one that had 
unusual executive ability else he could not 
have carried to successful issue so many ex- 
tensive enterprises. 

Our subject was married in 1892 to Anna 
Stevenson, daughter of Samuel E. Steven- 
son, a well known family of Stevenson 
township. One winsome child was born to 
this union, Gladys. At the time of his mar- 
riage Mr. Boynton was living on his farm. 
His first wife was called to her rest Febru- 
ary 16, 1897, a °d our subject was again 
married May 17, 1906, his last wife being 
Ethel Stevenson. No children have been 
bom to this union. Mrs. Boynton presides 
over their modern, commodious, beautiful 



and elegantly furnished home on South 
Broadway with rare grace and dignity, and 
she is frequently hostess to numerous ad- 
miring friends of the family. 

Possessing the executive skill and pleas- 
ing personality that our subject does, it is 
not surprising that his friends should have 
singled him out for political preferment, 
consequently he has been honored with nu- 
merous local offices, all of which he has ably 
and creditably filled to the entire satisfac- 
tion of all concerned. He has served as 
Clerk of Stevenson township and later 
served two terms as Supervisor of that town- 
ship. He is now city Alderman from the 
Second ward of Salem. Useless to say our 
subject is a loyal Republican, and he was at 
one time the nominee of his party for Sher- 
iff, and at another time for Treasurer, but 
was defeated. He, however, made a most ex- 
cellent race, being defeated by only a few 
votes, although the county is strongly Demo- 
cratic. He is, indeed, a public-spirited citizen 
and witholds his co-operation from no move- 
ment which is intended to promote public 
improvement. What he has achieved in life 
proves the force of his character and illus- 
trates his steadfastness of purpose. He is 
now one of the men of affluence and his 
advancement to a position of credit and 
honor in the business circles of Marion 
county is the direct outcome of his own' 
persistent and worthy labors, and it would 
be hard to find a more popular or congenial 
gentleman in this section of the state than 
Mr. Boynton. 



8o 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCEN1 HISTORY OF 



JAMES I'. HO\A I'LL. 

Examine into the life records of the self- 
made men and it will always be found that 
indefatigable industry forms the basis of 
their success. True there are other elements 
that enter in — persevera ice of purpose ami 

en discrimination— which enable one to 
recognize business opportunities, but the 
foundation of .ill achievement is earnest, per- 
sistesl labor. This fact was recognized at 
the cutset of his career by the worthj gen- 
tleman whose name tonus the caption of this 
article and he did not seek to gain any short 
or wondrous method to the goal of prosper- 
ity. He began, however, to work earnestly 
and diligently in order to advance himself 
in the business world, at the same time do- 
ing what he could for the welfare of the 
community at large, and as a result of bis 
habits of industry, public spirit, courtc 
demeanor and honorable career he enjoys 
the esteem and admiration of a host of 
friends in .Marion county, where he has long 
maintained his home and where he is known 

one of the representative citizens of the 
great state of Illinois. 

F. Howell was born in Marion 
county, this state, March 25, 1840, and he 
has elected to spend his entire life on bis na- 
tive heath, believing that better opportuni- 
ties were to be found at home than in other 
and distant fields of endeavor. He is the 
son of Jackson |). and Agnes (Gray) How- 
ell. Grandfathei Howell came to Illinois 
from Tennessee in [825, settling in thi 
county, having taken up land from the gov- 
ernment, eighty acres al the time of his com- 



ing, lie afterward bought one hundred and 
twentj acres more from the government, a 
part of which was timbered and a part was 
on the prairie. He cleared the timber land, 
tin- being the part he lir-t purchased, clear 
ing and farming the timbered land first. 

There were not any settlements on the prai- 
rie at that time, all the settlements there 
were then being in the timbered lands. The 
fir.st Monday in May each year was wolf 
day. All the settlers gathered on that da\ 
and made a general drive, often taking large 
numbers of prairie wolves. There were also 
large numbers of deer at that time and our 
subject has helped kill as many as forty or 
fifty at one time. Grandfather Howell lived 
on the land he secured from the government 
during the rest of his life, being known as 
one of tlie strongest characters of tho 
pioneer times. He reached the age of 
eighty-five years, his wife having been called 
to rest at the age of fifty. There were ten 
children in this family, all of whom lived to 
maturity and reared families of their own. 
The subject's grandfather was the fifth in 
older of birth. Two of these children lived 
to be over eighty years of age. The others 
lived to be about seventy. 

The subject's father obtained what little 
education he could in the district schools of 
this count) ; however, there was but little op- 
portunity for schooling at that time. He 
worked on his father's farm until after he 
reached maturity, then he pre-empted land. 
and lived on it, finally owning three hundred 

iid sixty acres, mostly prairie land, on 
which lie carried on general farming. He 
made his home on this land during the rest 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



81 



of his life, owning it at the time of his death. 
He died while on the road home from Cali- 
fornia. His remains were brought to Kin- 
mundy and laid to rest. He was a man of 
fine personal traits and exercised much in- 
fluence in the upbuilding of his community. 
There were ten children in this family, six 
of whom lived to maturity. Mr. Howell's 
first wife was called to her rest at the age of 
forty-one, and he was again married. To 
this union two children were born, one liv- 
ing, in 1908. The mother of the subject was 
horn in Tennessee and was brought to Illi- 
nois by her parents when about six years 
old. 

James F. Howell, our subject, was born 
about one and one-half miles from where 
he now lives. The home he owns and oc- 
cupies is the fourth one in which he has 
lived since leaving his father's old home- 
stead. Our subject now owns twenty-six 
acres of the original purchase by his father 
from the government. He has always de- 
voted his time to agricultural pursuits, own- 
ing at this writing one hundred and six 
acres of as good farming land as may be 
found in the county, being kept in a high 
state of productiveness, general fanning be- 
ing carried on in a manner that stamps the 
subject as one of the foremost farmers in 
this locality. 

Mr. Howell was married in 1858 to Isabel 
J. Robb. who was born in the township 
where she has always lived, being a repre- 
sentative of a well known and highly re- 
spected people. Her people came from Ten- 
nessee, being among the earliest settlers in 
6 



this county. Mrs. Howell was called to her 
reward February 3, 1907, at the age of 
sixty-six years, after a harmonious and 
beautiful Christian life. 

The children born to this union are named 
in order of birth as follows: Arminda H., 
born June 18, 1859, is the wife of H. A. 
Brown, and the mother of eight children : 
Reufinia E., born February 24, 1861, is the 
wife of Benjamin Garrett and the mother of 
five children ; Leander, born April 24, 1863, 
who became the father of four children, is 
deceased ; Ida M. and Nettie, twins, were 
born September 27,, 1866, the latter dying 
when four years old, the former becoming 
the wife of G. C. Warner; Charles H., born 
January 24, 1869, is married and has three 
children : Samuel E., born January 12, 1871, 
is married and has one child; Ellis M., burn 
January 12, 1875, is married; Eva M., born 
November 14, 1877, became the wife of 
Lloyd Perrill and is the mother of two chil- 
dren : James E., born August 5, 1880, is 
married and has one child. He now lives 
in Roumania, in the employ of the Standard 
Oil Company. 

The subject has been twice married, hay- 
ing been united in the bonds of wedlock with 
his second wife February 20, 1908, his last 
wife being Martha Anglin, a native of this 
county, her people having come from Ten- 
nessee in 1839. The maternal grandfather 
of the subject's wife came from Ireland and 
her father's people from Scotland, first set- 
tling in Alabama, later moving to Tennessee 
and then to Illinois, where they spent the 
remainder of their lives. 






BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



Minerva Howell, an aunt of the subject 
by marriage, was born in Tennessee in i.v 
ller people were from old Virginia, who lat- 

came to Illinois when she was one y< 
old, her father settling in Marion county, 

■r moving to Williamson county, lllin 
where he died when about seventy years old. 
Mrs. Howell remarried. She became the 
mother en children, four of whom 

lived to maturity, two oi them living in 
[908. Her husband died at the age of 
enty-six. lie was also born in Tennes- 
see 

James F. Howell is a member of the Ma- 
le fraternity and the Independent Order 
of Odd Fellows, and in his political relations 
he affiliates with the Democratic party. The 
subject's first wife was a member oi the 
Cumberland Presbyterian church. 

In matters pertaining to the welfare of his 
township, county and state. Mr. Howell is 
ply interested, and his efforts in behalf of 
the general progress have been far-reaching 
and beneficial. His name is indelibly ass 
ciated with progress in the county of his 
birth, and among those in whose midst he 
• lived he is held in the higl 
em by reason of an upright life and 
fidelity to principles which in every land ami 
clime command respect. 



BENJAMIN M. SMITH. 

In studying the interesting life histori 
manv of the better class of men. and the 



ones of unquestioned merit and honor, it 
will be found that they have been compelled, 
very largely, to map out their own car 
ami furnish their own motive force in scal- 
ing the heights of success, and it is such a 
one that the biographer is pleased to write 
in the paragraphs that follow. 

Benjamin M. Smith, the well known 
cashier oi the Salem State Bank, was born 
in Central City, Illinois, December 1 1, [877, 
the son oi Samuel J. Smith, a native of St. 
Clair county, Illinois, and a gentleman of 
many sterling traits who became a man oi 
considerable influence in his community, 
some oi whose commendable characteristics 
are inherited by his son. our subject. Samuel 
J. Smith came to Marion county when a 
young man and was engaged in the milling 
business of which he made pronounced suc- 
cess, having been in the county several years 
when the Civil war began, and he continued 
in this business during- the progress of the 
Rebellion. He took much interest in public 
affairs. He was County Treasurer and 
County Clerk for twenty years and Deputy 
County Treasurer for four years. During 
his long official record he conducted the af- 
fairs that were entrusted to him in a manner 
that reflected great credit upon his ability- 
anil in a way that elicited much favorable 
comment but no criticism from his con- 
temporaries and constituents. He 
called to his rest April 5. 1906, after an emi- 
nently successful and useful life. 

The subject's grandfather, Benjamin J. 
Smith, who was a native of the old Tine 
Tii I Maine), is remembered as a 

man of unusual fortitude and courage, hav- 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



83 



ing been a composite of the usual elements 
that go into the makeup of pioneers. He 
came west in early life and was one of the 
first settlers of St. Clair county, Illinois, of 
which county he was at one time Sheriff, 
one of the best, in fact, that the county ever 
had. He was an active business man all his 
life, having been in the commission busi- 
ness in Chicago for a number of years, 
where he became well known in the business 
circles of the city in those days. He was 
born in 1801, and after a remarkably active 
career, reaching a venerable age, passed to 
the silent land when in his ninetieth year. 

The mother of the subject was in her 
maidenhood Mary E. Martin, who was born 
in Ohio on a farm near Wellsville. She is 
in many respects a remarkable character, 
benign, affable and her influence has always 
been wholesome and uplifting, so that even 
in the golden evening of her life she is a 
blessing to those with whom she comes in 
contact. She is the mother of three chil- 
dren, namely : Irene, who died in infancy ; 
Irma, a woman of fine traits; and Benja- 
min M., our subject. 

Thus after a resume of the subject's 
worthy ancestors we are not surprised that 
he has achieved unusual distinction in his 
community, and to him the future evidently 
has much of good in store. 

Benjamin M. Smith attended school in 
Salem, graduating from the high school 
where he had made a splendid record for 
scholarship and deportment. Feeling that 
he was destined for a business career, and 
following in the footsteps of his father and 



grandfather, he early began preparations to 
enter the industrial field, and in order to 
prepare himself more thoroughly took a 
course in the Bryant & Stratton Business 
College at St. Louis, Missouri, standing in 
the front rank of his class when he gradu- 
ated in 1900. Mr. Smith has been actively 
engaged in business since he was sixteen 
years old and he showed at that early age 
that he was destined to the highest success. 
He seems to be best fitted to the manage- 
ment of banking institutions, although he 
turns everything into success that he under- 
takes. He has been cashier of banks for 
seven years in 1908. He was cashier of 
the Haymond State Bank, now the First 
National Bank at Kinmundy, Illinois, for 
two years, during which time the business of 
this institution greatly increased. Then he 
came to Salem and became associated with 
the Salem State Bank of which he is a 
stockholder and director and one of the 1 ir- 
ganizers. in fact, one of the moving spirits 
of the institution. Mr. Smith was also a 
director in the bank at Kinmundy and is 
still a stockholder in the same. Both these 
institutions recognize his unusual industrial 
ability and peculiar aptitude for managing 
the affairs of a banking concern and the of- 
ficials are not reluctant to give him all due 
credit for the great work he has done in 
placing these banks on a firm foundation and 
making them among the solid and well 
known institutions of their kind in this part 
of the state. 

Fraternally Mr. Smith belongs to the 
Masonic Order, Knights Templar: also the 



84 



RAPHK M AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the 
Knights of Pythias, the Woodmen and the 
Eagles, and one would judge from his con- 
sisted daily life that In. - believes in carrying 

out the sublime principles and doctrines of 
these worthy orders. In politics our subject 

i loyal Democrat, but he has not found 
time to lake an active part in political af- 
fairs. However, he believes in placing the 
best men possible in local offices and his 
support can always be depended upon in 
the advancement of any cause looking to 
the development and betterment of bis com- 
munity and county. 

Mr. Smith has preferred single blessed- 
ness and lias never assumed t lie responsi- 
bilities of the married slate. 

Our subject is a very strong character in 
every respect and although be is yet quite a 
young man he has shown by bis past excel- 
lent and praiseworthy record that he is a 
man of unusual industrial ability and the 
future will doubtless be replete with honors 
and success for him. 



IK )\. JAMES C WIKkoN A.LLEN. 

\n enumeration of the representative 

ns of Richland county wh i ba\ e Wi >n 
recognition and success for themselves and 
at the same time have conferred honor up- 
on the community would be decidedly in- 
complete were there failure to make men- 
tion of the i" 'pillar gentleman whi ise i 
initiates this review, who has long held 



worthy prestigein legal and political circles. 
and has always been distinctively a man of 
affairs, but is now living retired. He wields 
a wide influence among those with whom 
his [ot has been cast, ever having the af- 
fairs of bis county at heart and doing what 
he could to aid in its development. 

James Cameron Allen was born in Shel- 
by county, Kentucky. January _'<). [822, the 
sou of Benjamin and Margarel (Youel) 
Allen, natives of Augusta county. Virginia, 
the former of Irish and the latter of Scotch 
descent. Grandfather John Allen was born 
in Ireland on the famous Shannon river, 
and when about twentj years old he came 
to America alone and settled in New Jersey, 
where he married and later moved to Rock- 
bridge county. Virginia, and engaged in 
farming, where he lived and died. Grand- 
father William Youel, was horn in Scotland 
and came to America when young, located 
in Augusta count}-. Virginia, on a farm and 
became an extensive stock raiser for that 
time. He served in the Revolutionary war. 
being slightly wounded at the battle of 
Cow pens. After the British army had been 
driven away, he picked up a large powder 
horn, which had been used by an English 
soldier. It was given to one of his sons. 
and became a valuable historical relic. Our 
subject used the same when a boy. while 
squirrel hunting. Grandfather Youel died 
in Virginia, al an advanced age, after rear- 
ing a large family. The father of our sub- 
ject was a farmer and when young learned 
the trade of cycle maker, lie kept a set of 
blacksmith toob as long as he lived. Short 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES. ILLINOIS. 



85 



lv after his marriage lie emigrated to Shelby 
county, Kentucky, having made the trip on 
horseback, carrying all his earthly posses- 
sions on one pack horse. This was in 1803, 
when the country was covered with primeval 
woods and overrun by Indians. In 1830 he 
came to Parke county, Indiana, and located 
on a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, 
basing bought part of the land from the 
man who had entered it and which had on 
n a small cabin and a few acres which had 
been cleared. He improved the place and 
developed a good farm, which he later sold 
and retired. He died in Parke county, in 
1849, his wife having died in 1832. They 
were people of much sterling worth, typical 
pioneers. To them were born ten children, 
of whom our subject was the seventh in 
order of birth, all now deceased except the 
subject and one sister, Elvina, who is living 
in West Liberty, Iowa. 

The subject was eight years old when the 
family came to Indiana. He remained at 
home until he was eighteen years old, help- 
ing clear the farm and assisting in the work 
about the place, in the meantime attending 
the country subscription schools during the 
winter months. When eighteen years old 
he went to Rockville, Indiana, and entered 
the County Seminary, from which he grad- 
uated three years later, having carefully ap- 
plied himself and making a splendid rec- 
ord. Being out of money at that time, he 
returned home and rented his father's farm 
for line season, having realized two hundred 
and eighty dollars as his share. With this 
he went to Rockville and began the study 



of law, in which he made rapid progress, 
and was licensed to practice two years later, 
in 1843. He located at Sullivan, Indiana, 
then the new county-seat, but was a small 
village in the woods. Here he practiced 
with much success attending his efforts until 
1847. He held the office of Prosecuting At- 
torney for one term of two years, and was 
one of the leading young attorneys of that lo- 
cality. He then located at Palestine, Illinois, 
where be followed his profession for a period 
of twenty-nine years, beci niing km iwn as 1 me 
of the ablest attorneys in the county, and 
having a very extensive clientele. He then 
located in Olney, in November, 1 876, and 
he has since lived at this place, having built 
up a very large practice. He retired in 1907. 

While living in Crawford count}-, Illinois, 
he was elected to the Lower House of the 
Legislature in 1850, on the Democratic 
ticket and served with great credit. Such 
a splendid record did he make that he was 
nominated and triumphantly elected two 
years later to Congress from his district, at 
that time, the Fifth district, and was re- 
elected in 1854, serving two terms, making 
his influence felt in that body where his 
counsel was always respectfully listened to, 
and often followed with gratifying results. 
During his first term the Kansas and Ne- 
braska fight was up. During the second 
term the defeat for slavery for Kansas was 
accomplished. His voice was heard in the 
debates of those strenuous times. 

In 1856 Mr. Allen was not a candidate 
for re-election, but he became Clerk of the 
House during that session of ('ingress. In 



86 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY 01 



March, 1860, he came home and in thai year 
was the Democratic candidate for Governor 
of [llinois, against ¥ates. He made a 
splendid race and the election showed thai 
lie was a popular man throughout the state, 
notwithstanding his defeat. In \pril. [861, 
he was elected Judge of the Circuit Court, 
and in the fall of 1S03 resigned as Judge to 
accept the place of Congressman-al large, 
to which he had been elected in 1862. He 
was a candidate for re-election, but was 
defeated by Samuel Moulton. During his 
terms in Congress he witnessed stirring 
times for it was while the Civil war was 
in progress. 

Returning home Mr. Allen practiced law 
until [873, when he was re-elected Judge 
of the Circuit Court, and after the passage 
of the law establishing appellate courts, he 
was appointed bj tin- Supreme Court as Ap- 
pellate Judge, occupying lmth positions un- 
til [879. He then engaged in practice until 
his retirement in 1907, having liked the 
practice better than being on the bench. I le 
has been .United States Commissioner since 
[896, for Southern and Eastern Illinois. 

The happy and harmoni ius domestic life 
our subject began January 22, 1845, 
when he was married to Ellen Kitchell. a 
native of Palestine, Illinois, the representa- 
tive of an influential family of that place. 
To this union three children were born, who 
died in infancy. Tin- subject's firsl wife 
was called to her rest in 1853 and in [857 
he married Julia Kitchell. cousin of his first 
wife, by whom seven children were bom, 
namely: Harry, who was court reporter for 



five years, is deceased; Frances is the wife 
of John T. Ratcliff, of Olney; Caroline is 
living at home keeping house fi r her father: 
James II. resides in Robinson, Illinois; 
Frederick W. is deceased: William Y. is 
living at home: Margaret is also a member 
if the home circle. The second wife of our 
subject, a woman of many beautiful at- 
tributes, passed away in [901. Mr. Allen 
has long been a pillar in the Presbyterian 
church, having been the ruling elder in the 
same since 1850. 

Thus standing out distinctly as one of 
the central figures of the judiciary of the 
great comm inwealth of Illinois is the name 
of Hon. James Cameron Allen. Long 
prominent in legal circles and equally prom- 
inent in public matters beyond the confines 
of his own jurisdiction, with a reputation 
in one of the most exacting professions that 
has wi.n bun a name for distinguished ser- 
vices second to none of his contemporaries, 
there is t. iday no more pr uninent or hi 'in ned 
figure in the southern part of the state which 
he has long dignified with his citizenship. 
Achieving success in the courts at an age 
when most young men are just entering up- 
on the formative period of their lives, wear- 
ing the judicial ermine with becoming dig- 
nity and bringing to every case submitted 
to him a clearness of perception and ready 
power of .analysis characteristic of the 
learned jurist, his name and work for half 
a century have been allied with legal insti- 
tutions, public enterprises and political in- 
terests of the state in such a way as to earn 
him recognition as one of the distinguished 



RICHLAXIi, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



87 



citizens in a community noted for the high 
order of its legal talent. A high purpose 
and an unconquerable will, vigorous men- 
tal powers, diligent study and devotion to 
duty are some of the means by which he 
has made himself eminently useful. He is 
Ik inured and esteemed by all who know him 
for his life of honor and usefulness, his in- 
tegrity, kindness and genial manners and 
the good he has accomplished for his state 
cannot be adequately expressed. 



TOHX C. MARTIN. 



The subject of this sketch is a native son 
of Marion county, Illinois, and a represen- 
tative of one of its sterling and honored 
families. He is known as a young man of 
fine intellectuality and marked business 
acumen. He is cashier of the Salem Na- 
tional Bank, one of the most substantial in- 
stitutions of its kind in this part of the 
state. 

John C. Martin was born in Salem April 
29, 1880, the son of B. E. Martin, Sr., a 
sketch of whom appears upon another page 
of this volume. 

Our subject attended the schools of Salem 
in his early youth where he applied himself 
in a most assiduous manner, having made 
excellent records for scholarship and general 
deportment, and as a result of his well ap- 
plied time to his text-books he received a 
good education which has subsequently been 
broadened and deepened by contact with the 
world and systematic home study. After 



finishing the prescribed course in the home 
schools he spent two years at Jacksonville, 
Illinois, one year at the Jacksonville College, 
and one at Brown's Business College, hav- 
ing stood high in his classes in each. 

At the early age of twenty-eight years, a 
period when most men are just launching 
into a career or tentatively investigating the 
world that lies before them in order to test 
their potential powers, Mr. Martin had al- 
ready shown that he is a man of marked ex- 
ecutive and business ability. He assumed 
the responsible and exacting position of 
cashier of the Salem National Bank in April 
1907, whose duties he is faithfully perform- 
ing to the entire satisfaction of all con- 
cerned. He is a stockholder in this institu- 
tion, which is popular with all classes of 
business men in Salem and throughout Mar- 
ion county, where it has long maintained a 
firm reputation for soundness owing to its 
careful management and the unquestioned 
integrity and scrupulously honest characters 
of the gentlemen who have it under control. 

Fraternally Mr. Martin is a loyal mem- 
ber of the Masonic Order, the Woodmen and 
the Fraternal Order of Eagles. The daily 
life of the subject would indicate that he 
believes in carrying out the noble precepts 
of these praiseworthy orders. 



HON. HARVEY D. McCOLLUM. 

Clav county figures as one of the most 
attractive, progressive and prosperous divi- 
sions of the southern part of Illinois, justly 



88 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY 01 



claiming a high order of citizenship and a 
spirit of enterprise which is certain to con- 
serve consecutive development and marked 
■ nent in the material upbuilding of 
this secti m. The county has been and is 
signally favored in the class , ,f men who 
have controlled its affairs in official capacity, 
and in this connection the subjeel of this re 
\ lew demands representation, as he is sen 
ing the localitj faithfully and well in a po 
sition of distinct trust and responsibility, be 
ing the Representative in the State Legisla- 
ture, having been elected to the Lower H( uise 
in the fall of [908, among the youngesl 
members of that bod) ; bul while the young- 
est, he is far from the least important. On 
the contrary he is an active, vigilant and 
p enl factor in that honored body. lie 
has achieved a brilliant record at the bar, 
while yet a young man. and to such as he the 
future augurs much in the way of success 
and honor. 

Harvey I). McCollum was born hi Louis 
ville. (la\ county, Illinois, March 13. [879, 
and he tally decided to try his fortune with 
hi- own people, rather than seek uncertain 
fortune in other fields, as so many of his 
early companions have done, lie is thi 
of James ( '„ McG Hum. a Is, 1 a native of * lay 
county, now residing in Louisville, retired. 
one of the founders of the Farmers' 
and Merchants' Bank <>f Louisville, ami who 
is imw one of its dire< tors. James ( '. McCol 
lum. grandfather of the subject, was a na- 
tive of Kentucky, and the subject's .ureal 

grandfather, Alexander McCollum, was one 
(if the si\ men killed at the battle of New 



( Orleans in the War of [812, this battle hav- 
ing been fought in [815, and his name is 
mentioned in Presidenl Roosevelt's history 
of naval battles. Members of the Mc< '■ 'Hum 
family were among the early settlers of Cla) 
ci mnty and they have been prominently iden 
t it hi 1 with its historj ever since the pioneer 
days, having always taken a leading part in 
the development of the community in ever) 
way. Robert McCollum, uncle of the sub 
ject of this sketch, has lived in this county 
for a period of sevent) five years, is one oi 
the oldest living pioneers of the county. 

The mother of the subject, a woman ''i 
many beautiful attributes, was known in 

her maidenh 1 as Fanny Long, a daughter 

of Darling Long, an old settler of Clay 
county. She is still living. To Mr. and 

Mrs. |. C. McCollum four children were 

bom, our subject being the only survivor. 

1 Mm subjeel was reared in Louisville 
win re he attended the high school from 
which he graduated, having gained a good 
common school education, fur he was ambi- 
tious and applied himself in a very careful 
manner to his studies, outstripping may oi 
the less ardent plodders. \'<>t being satis- 
fied with what learning he had acquired up 
tn this point, he attended tin- Universit) of 
Illinois, taking the literary ami law courses, 
in which institution he remained fur six 
years, graduating in [901, after making a 
splendid record for scholarship. 

After c impleting his course in the univer- 
sity, Mr. McCollum returned home and at 
1 nice began the practice of law. his success 
being instantaneous. He at mice attracted 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



No 



the attention of the political leaders of the 
count}', and he was the nominee of the Dem- 
ocratic party for County Judge in 1902. and 
while he headed his ticket, was defeated: 
however, the splendid race he made gave 
proof of his high standing with the people 
of Clay county and forecasted future victo- 
ries. He formed a law partnership that year 
with A. M. Rose, which continued until Air. 
Rose was elected to the circuit bench. 

Air. McCollum was appointed Alaster in 
Chancery for two terms, serving with much 
credit and satisfaction from 1904 until 1908. 
He is at this writing practicing law with 
John \Y. Thomason, having formed a part- 
nership, which still exists, in January, 1907. 
It is generally regarded as one of the strong- 
est law firms in this or adjoining counties, 
and their office is always a busy place, their 
man)- clients coming from all over the dis- 
trict. As already stated, our subject made a 
successful race for the Legislature during 
the last election (1908), which event caused 
general satisfaction throughout the county, 
not only from friends, but members of other 
parties, for everyone recognized Air. AIcCol- 
lum's ability and fidelity to duty, therefore 
they know their interests will be carefully 
guarded by him. 

Ah'. McCollum is unmarried. In his fra- 
ternal relations he is a member of the Be- 
nevolent and Protective Order of Elks No. 
926, at Olney. the Knights of Pythias, the In- 
dependent Order of Odd Fellows and the 
Woodmen, and Masonic Order at Louisville. 

Air. McCollum is not a man who courts 
publicity, yet it must be a pleasure to him, as 



is quite natural, to know how well he stands 
with his fellow citizens throughout this dis- 
trict. The public is seldom mistaken in its 
estimation of a man, and had Air. McCollum 
not been most worthy he could not have 
gained the high position he now holds in 
public and social life. Having long main- 
tained the same without any abatement of 
his popularity, his standing in the county is 
perhaps now in excess of what it has ever 
been. He has. by his own persistent and 
praiseworthy efforts, won for himself a name 
whose luster the future years shall only aug- 
ment. 



G. H. TRENARY. 



The enterprise of the subject has been 
crowned by success, as the result of rightly 
applied principles which never fail in their 
ultimate effect when coupled with integrity, 
uprightness and a congenial disposition, as 
they have been done in the present instance, 
judging from the high standing of Mr. Tre- 
nary among his fellow citizens whose un- 
divided esteem he has justly won and re- 
tained. 

G. H. Trenary, the influential and popu- 
lar superintendent of the Chicago & East- 
ern Illinois Railroad Company, with offices 
at Salem, Illinois, was born February 9, 
1867, at Lafayette, Indiana, the son of Ran- 
dolph B. Trenary, a native of Ohio who 
came to Indiana when a boy. He was a lo- 
comotive engineer, having run an engine 



QO 



KAPHK VL Wli REMINISCENT HISTuUY OF 



during the (.'nil war and he followed this 
profession all his life, bi > of the 

best known railroad men in his community. 
IK- died in February, 1904, at Stone Bluff, 
Indiana. The mother of the subject was 
known in her maidenhood as Mollie Nor- 
dui't. a native of Williamsport, Indiana, and 
tlte representative of a well known and 
highly respected family there. She passed 
to her rest in (873. They were the parents 
of four children, three boys and one girl, 
namely: Charles \\ '.. of Kansas City, Mis- 
souri; G. II.. the subject of this sketch; 
Evendar II.. who died in iSSS; Klizabeth, 
the wife of Charles Mallett, of Stone Bluff, 
Indiana. 

( >nr subject attended the common schools 
at I'rhana. Illinois, leaving school when in 
the eighth grade for the purpose of begin- 
ning the study of telegraphy at Urbana. 
Becoming" an exeprt at this exacting profes- 
sion he followed it tog-ether with that of 
agent at various stations for thirteen years 
with great satisfaction to his employers who 
regarded him as one of the most efficient 
and reliable men in this line of work in 
their employ. He spent four years at Og- 
den, Illinois; one year at I'rhana, one year 
at Waynetown, Indiana; cue year at Cham- 
paign, Illinois; two years al LeRoy, Illinois; 
three years at Veedersburg, Indiana; one 
year at Hoopestown, Illinois. From 1896 
to [899 he was chief clerk to the general 
superintendent of the Chicago & Eastern 
Illinois Railroai ny at * Ihicago. For 

five years our subject held the responsible 
position of superintendent at Brazil, In- 



diana, from 1899 to [904, -mce which time 
he has been superintendent of the Illinois 
division of the Chicago & Eastern Illinois 
road, with headquarters at Salem. The 
offices of this road were located here in De- 
cember, 1906, having been removed from 
St. Elmo, this state. This road employs 
about live hundred people in all departments. 
The local offices occupy the entire third 
floor of the Salem State Hank building and 
is the busiest place in Salem. Mr. Trenary's 
private office is also on this floor. Every- 
thing is under a splendid system. 

.Mr. Trenary has jurisdiction over all 
transportation, a very responsible position, 
indeed, and one that not only requires a 
superior talent along executive lines, hut a 
clear brain, sound judgment and steady hab- 
its, hut he has performed hi" duties so well 
that the company deems his services indis- 
pensable. This road has a departmental di- 
vision system. 

Our subject was happily married in De- 
cember, 1884, to Beulah R. Glascock, the 
refined and accomplished daughter of H. J. 
Glascock, an influential and highly respected 
citizen of Ogden, Illinois. 

The commodious, modern, cheerful and 
model home of the subject and wife has 
been blessed through the birth of the six 
children whose names and dates of birth 
follow in consecutive order: < i. \\\. born 
April 1 _>. [88(>. lives in Salem; Nell, born 
December 30. 1887; Genevieve F.. born 
March t, 1893; Robert I\. born October 22, 
[895; II. Kenneth, born January 29, 1001; 
Randolph Bryant, born January 26, 1904. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



91 



These children have received every care 
and attention, been given good educations 
and each gives promise of bright and suc- 
cessful futures, exemplifying in their daily 
lives what a wholesome home environment 
and careful parental training can do in de- 
veloping well rounded and highly cultivated 
minds and bodies. 

Air. Trenary moved his family to Salem 
in December, 1906. He has been honored 
by being chosen alderman for the city of 
Salem. Although a loyal Republican and 
well fortified in his political beliefs and anx- 
ious to see the triumph of his party's prin- 
ciples, Mr. Trenary has never aspired to 
positions of public trust at the hands of his 
fellow voters. However, his support can al- 
ways be depended upon in the advancement 
of all movements looking to the public weal 
in his community whether educational, 
mural or civic. 

In his fraternal relations, the subject is a 
member of the Alasonic Order and the Mod- 
ern Woodmen, and one would soon conclude 
by a knowledge of his consistent and gen- 
tlemanly daily life that he believed in carry- 
ing out the sublime precepts of these 
commendable organizations. Both Mr. and 
Mrs. Trenary are members of the Christian 
church. They are pleasant people to meet, 
and their cozy home is often the mecca for 
numerous admiring friends who seek the 
cheerfulness and hospitality so freely and 
unstintingly dispensed here. No better or 
mi >re popular people are to be found in Mar- 
ion county and they justly deserve the high 
esteem in which they are held. 



JOHN A. BATEMAN. 

There is much in the life record of the 
subject of this sketch worthy of commenda- 
tion and admiration, and his public career 
is especially notable. Like many other 
brainy, energetic young men who have left 
their impress upon the magnificent develop- 
ment of this part of the great Prairie state,. 
he did not wait for a specially brilliant open- 
ing. Indeed, he could not wait, for his 
natural industry would not have permitted 
him to do so. In his early youth he gave 
evidence of the possession of traits of char- 
acter which have made his life exceptionally 
successful and he is today admittedly one of 
Clay county's foremost and best known 
citizens. 

John A. Bateman was born in Richland 
count}-. Illinois, September 20, 1863, the 
son nf Thomas Bateman, who was a native 
of Queenstown, Ireland, where a sister, 
aunt nf our subject, still resides. He came 
to America when he was eighteen years old, 
first settling in Ohio, near Cincinnati, where 
he lived about three years, after which he 
came to Richland county, Illinois, locating 
on a farm, having lived in Richland county 
two years, when he moved near Sailor 
Springs, Clay county, where he lived until 
his death, June 24, 1879. He was a man 
of much sterling worth and many of his 
praiseworthy traits seem to have been in- 
herited by our subject. Grandfather 
Michael Bateman was a native of Ireland, 
where he lived and died. Our subject's 
mother was Mary A. Mitchell, whose people 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



were natives "t" North Carolina She was 
born near Bedford, Indiana, and is still liv- 
ing al Sailor Springs, Claj county, Ellin 
She is a fine old lad) of beautiful Christian 
character. 

I he follow ing children were 1" n n to Mr. 
and Mrs. Thomas Bateman: Lucinda Jane 
died in infancy ; John A., the subji cl 
this sketch: William, deceased; Charles, a 
well-to-do fanner at Sailor Springs, this 
county; Susanna, deceased; George I'.. liv- 
ing at Sailor Springs; Abraham, deceased; 
Robert, deceased. 

.Mr. Bateman spent his early life on the 
farm ami received his primary education 
in the schools of Sailor Springs. He later 
attended Hayvvanl College at Fairfield, II- 
Hn 'is. for two or three terms, lie also at- 

ided the Teachers' Normal of (lay coun- 
ty, having made a splendid record for schol- 
arship in all these institutions. Not being 
contented to leave school before he received 
a high education, he borrowed money of old 
Uncle Jim McKinney, and attended the 
Mitchell College, at Mitchell. Indiana, com- 
ing the course. 

Hi- father dying when he was fifteen 

irs old. Mr. Bateman became the head 

support of the family, and although the 
Struggle was hard, it merely tended to de- 
ip the sterner side of his nature and 
spurred him to achievements that In- other- 
wise would never have known. After 
leaving school he taught for live years in 
the countrj with great success, becoming 
known as one of the leading educators of 
the county and his services were in great 



demand. After his experience in teaching 

he went into the real estate and insurance 
business at Sailor Springs, also buying and 
shipping wool and grain, lie ah,, opened 
the first furniture store in that town and 
while there he was elected the first Mayoi i i 
the town, having become one of the leading 
men oi the community and who did a great 
deal for the town's development. This was 
in [893. Me remained there for ten years, 
making a success of whatever business he 
:ngaged in. 

In [898 Mr. Bateman was elected Coun- 
ty Clerk on the Republican ticket, living at 
the time in Sailor Springs. On June 22, 
[899, he moved to Louisville. He was 
elected to this office by twenty-four major- 
ity, lie was counted out. but was finally 
seated by the Supreme Court, lie was re- 
nominated in !<>(>_'. and re-elected by a ma- 
j irity of three hundred and fifteen. Having 
made such a splendid record he was re- 
nominated in [906 and re-elected bj a ma- 
jority of four hundred and twenty-seven in 
the face of a strong fight. The Democratic 
party took their regular nominee ofl the 
ticket and placed the strongest man they 

nld in the race against him. He is 11 >w 
I [908) servant;- his third term, and is re 
garded by everyone concerned as an excep- 
tionally good officer, being careful and 
painstaking, courteous to all and giving his 
attention to the duties of the same with the 
same keen discernment that characterizes 
his own business affairs; in fact, he is said 
by his many friends t 1 be the best County 
( lerk ( lav ever had. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



93 



Mr. and Airs. Bateman are the parents of 
four children, namely: Dolores, who at this 
writing is fifteen years old; Chloe Irene is 
twelve years old ; Mark Hanna is deceased, 
having died October 6, 1908; the fourth 
child died in infancy. 

Mr. Bateman was very much attached to 
his baby son. Mark Hanna, whose untimely 
death at the age of nearly eleven years great- 
ly grieved him. The little boy was the pride 
of his father's heart and upon him he lav- 
ished his affection and care of an indulgent 
father. 

Fraternally Mr. Bateman is a member of 
the Masonic Order, the Knights of Pythias, 
and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows; 
also the Modern Woodmen, Ben Hur, the 
American. Home Circle and the Rebekahs. 
He is a member of the Christian church and 
a liberal supporter of the same. 

Our subject is a purely self-made man, 
winning success by overcoming many ob- 
stacles, and he deserves the high esteem in 
which he is universally held, and is one of 
Clay county's most popular men, claiming 
a legion of friends in all parts of the county 
and throughout this district. He has a 
modern and elegantly furnished home, a 
good driving horse and many other con- 
veniences. His home place consists of five 
acres. Mr. Bateman enjoys the fullest 
measure of public confidence, because of the 
honorable business methods he has ever fol- 
lowed, and he is one of the most successful, 
prominent and honored men in this portion 
of Illinois. 



G. A. IDLEMAN. 

The subject of this sketch is one of 
those men who have met with success along 
the line of his chosen calling and he is today 
one of the prosperous and respected mer- 
chants of Salem, Marion county, where he 
conducts a modern and attractive store, hav- 
ing built up an extensive and lucrative busi- 
ness by reason of his peculiar adaptability 
for this line of work, his honesty of business 
principles and his courteous and kind treat- 
ment of customers whom he numbers by the 
scores. 

G. A. Idleman was born in Marion 
county, Ohio, in 1844, the son of Jacob J. 
Idleman, a native of Virginia, who moved 
with his parents to Ohio when he was a 
small boy. He devoted his life principally 
to agricultural pursuits, but he also devoted 
much time and labor along a higher plane 
of action, that of Methodist minister, becom- 
ing known as an able expounder of the Gos- 
pel and a man of good deeds wherever he 
went. He engaged in ministerial work for 
forty years, having worked hard on his 
farm during the week and preached on Sun- 
day, and to show that he was an extraor- 
dinarily sincere men and desirous to do good 
for the sake of being true to the higher life 
as outlined by the lowly Nazarene, he never 
accepted a cent for his ministrial labors in 
all those forty years, merely preaching for 
the love of the work and the good he could 
do, which was an incalculable amount. He 
was called to his reward by the Good Shep- 



«M 



RAPHK VI AND REMINISCENT HISTORY 0) 



herd whom he had so faithfully followed, in 
[887, while living en his farm in Marion 
county, Illinois, where he moved in [865, 
tling two miles south of Salem where he 
resided the remainder of his life. 

The grandfather of the subject was Jacob 
[dleman, also a native of Virginia, and also 
a fanner who was known as a man of in- 
tegrity and many sterling qualities. He 
readied the advanced age of eight) years, 
dv ing in Mari< in Ci iunt) . < 'lib >. w here he had 
removed in an early day when the country 
was wild and unsettled. The subject's 
mother was Hannah Jones, whose people 
came from Pennsylvania. Her people lived 
to he very old, her mother having reached 
the remarkable age of ninety years. The 
subject's mother, a w>man of gracious per- 
sonal qualities, is still living in 10,08, mi the 
1 .Id farm homestead south of Salem at the 
still more remarkable age of ninety-four 
years. 

children constituted the Eamil) 1 >f the 
parents of our subject, four having died in 
infancy and two having passed away after 
reaching maturity. Tlh.se living are: G. 
A . our subject : Samantha, the widow of K. 
W. Thompson, 1 if < !olumbus, < Ihii ■: Mrs 
( allie ML Kell, the widow of William Kell. 
living in Salem; Mrs. Belle Sipes. who lives 
on a farm near < Imega, Illinois. 

1 . \. [dleman, our subject, spent his boy- 
id da) - in Marii »n ci mnty, < 'hi. .. where he 
nil. in school education and 

where he remained until he was twent) years 
old, having assisted with the farm work 
whi t. ■ schoi .1. I le came to Salem. 



Illinois, in [865 with his parents, and has 

Ci intinued to make tin-- his home I le fanned 

until he was thirt) years old, thereb) getting 

a good -tart 111 life. Since that time he has 
been engaged from time t.. time in various 
lines of business, lie has been in the mer- 
cantile business here for a period of twenty- 
live years, mosl of the time in business for 
himself, but part of the time he was asso- 
. iated in business with others. He has been 
engaged in the grocery business for the past 
eighl years, since 1900. and which he still 
conducts, having built up an excellent and 
lucrative trade as the result of courteous 
treatment to customers and his expert 
knowk-dge of the mercantile business, hav- 
ing always made this line of work pay, not 
only yielding him a comfortable living, hut 
enabling him to gradually increase his busi- 
ness and at the same time lay up an ample 
CompetenC) for his ..Id age. His customers 
are not confined to Salem and vicinity, but 
he is well known throughout Marion county, 
having always given his customers entire 
satisfaction as to the quality of goods he 
handles and t.. price, consequently he seldom 
loses a customer. Mr. [dleman built his 
present store building ..n First South street, 
which is one of the neatest and most sub- 
stantial st. .res in Salem. 

Mr. Idleman was united in marriage in 
[870 to Mattie Clark, the representative of 
one of Salem's well known families. To 
this union one child has been born. Mrs. 
I ..ha M. Hubbs, of Chicago. The sub j eel 
was married again May 14. [902, to ^.gnes 
Ray, the daughter of Riley Rose. She 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



95 



born and reared in Salem. They have no 
children. Their home is a commodious 
and nicely furnished one in the most de- 
sirable residence district of Salem, and is 
frequently the gathering" place for numerous 
friends of the family. 

Our subject has served his community in 
a most efficient and commendable manner as 
assessor of Salem township, having been 
the first Republican assessor ever elected in 
this township. In his fraternal relations he 
belongs to the Red Men, of Odin, Illinois. 
Both he and his wife are members of the 
Methodist Episcopal church. Our subject 
has ever taken an active interest in the wel- 
fare of the community and gives an earnest 
support to every movement for the public 
welfare. A man of fine personal traits, he 
is highly regarded by all who know him, 
and he is counted one of Salem's most pro- 
gressive and worthy business men. 



REV. JOHN BUENGER. 

The mission of a great soul in this world 
is one that is calculated to inspire a multi- 
tude of others to better and grander things, 
and its subsequent influence cannot be meas- 
ured in meets and bounds, for it affects the 
lives of those with whom it comes in con- 
tact, broading and enriching them for all 
time to come. He who spends his life inter- 
pretating the Divine Word has one of the 
greatest missions to perform vouchsafed to 
man. The subject of this sketch is one of 



that number and worthily wears the honor 
in proper meekness and reserve. 

Rev. John Buenger, minister of the Ger- 
man Lutheran church in Iuka township, 
Marion county, was born at Burg, near 
Magdeburg, Germany, April 17. 1869, the 
son of Otto and Antonie (Ruehlmaun) 
Buenger, both natives of Germany, having 
spent their lives in that country. The sub- 
ject's father, who was a minister, is de- 
ceased. He did a great work in the Evan- 
gelical church in Germany. The mother of 
our subject is still living in the fatherland. 
They were the parents of eight children, 
namely : Max, "Werner, Sophia, Emil ; 
Adolph and John, our subject, are twins; 
Eliza and Erich, who is also a minister. He 
and the subject are the only ones who ever 
came to America. The above named chil- 
dren are all living. 

The early education of Rev. John 
Buenger was obtained in Germany. He 
came to America in 1891 and attended Con- 
cordia College at St. Louis, Missouri, for 
two years. He then went to Madison 
county, Texas, in 1893, where he took 
charge of a church. He remained in Texas 
for ten years. He had very difficult charges 
in Madison, Fayette and Fannin counties, 
that state, but he did much good there in 
strengthening the congregations of his dif- 
ferent charges. In 1903 he came to his 
present pastorate in Marion county, Illinois, 
the German Lutheran Trinity church. He 
has done a great work here, having com- 
pleted in 1908 a beautiful and substantial 
church edifice, costing- two thousand seven 






\PHICAL \M> REMINISCENT HISTORY or- 



hundred dollars, lit- also conducts the pa- 
rtial school near the church, ably assisted 
by his wife, whom he married in 1894, her 
maiden name having been Louisa Franke, 
who was born in Barmen, Germany, the 
daughter of I [enry and Jane Menkhoff, both 
of whom died in Germany. Henrj Menk- 
hofl was a teacher in the old country. 

Six children have been born to the sub- 
ject ami wife as follows: Ruth, Gertrude, 
Elans, Antonett, Frieda and Paul. Our 
subject is well liked by his congregation and 
bj everyone who has had the fortune to 
know him. He is an earnest and able ex- 
pounder of the Gospel. 



JOHN B. COXA XT. 



This venerable pioneer and representative 
agriculturist of ECinmundy township, Ma- 
rion county, Illinois, has lived on the farm 
which is now his home practically all his life, 
and thus he has witnessed and taken part in 
the development of this section of the state 
Erom a sylvan wild to its present status as 
an opulent agricultural and industrial com- 
munity. I !<■ earlj began to contribute to the 
work of clearing and improving the land ol 
its primitive forests, later assisted in estab 
lishing schools and better public improve- 
i and facilities, while his course has 
been so dii to retain for him the un- 

qualified approval and esteem of the com- 
munity in which he has so long made his 
until today he is regarded as one of 
the most substantial and influential citizens 



oi the township, deserving of the greatest 
credil from the fact that he began life un- 
aided and without the tender guidance of 
parents, being compelled to go it alone from 
early childhood, but such stern discipline, 
somewhat unpleasant and regrettable, was 
not without its value, for it fostered in the 
lad an independent spirit and gave him that 
fortitude and courage that has made for sub- 
sequent success. 

John B. Conant is a native of this county, 
having been born here February \J. [839, 
the son of Airs Conant, who came to Mas- 
sachusetts from England, there being three 
brothers of the Conant family on the ship. 
one of whom settled in Baltimore, another 
in the North and one. Airs Conant, went to 
Georgia and joined the United States army 
for the purpose of taking part in the War of 
1812, having fought faithfully throughout 
the struggle, being wounded in the hand. 
After the war he returned to Georgia, where 
he settled, and married Polly Pepper, to 
which union eleven children were born, John 
B. Conant being the youngest son. Airs Co- 
nant and wife moved to Marion county, Il- 
linois in an early day while the country was 
still a wilderness. He partly improved sev- 
en different farms, selling each and moved 
to Missouri, pre-empting all the land he had 
from the government. All the members of 
this pioneer family have passed away with 
the exception of our subject. 

The father of our subject also taughl 
school 111 Marion county, having been hired 
to teach a subscription school four miles 
from home, the first term lasting three 




MR. AND MRS. T- B. CONAXT. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES. ILLINOIS. 



97 



months, the second term being of the same 
duration ; however, he taught only one 
month on the second term, when he stopped 
to put out a crop of corn. He worked too 
hard and drank too much water while over- 
heated, which caused his death in less than 
a week, leaving a large famaily to struggle 
with the wilderness and the clearing of a 
new country. The mother of our subject 
also passed away one week after her hus- 
band's death, leaving John B., then eight 
years old, to live with his older brother, Wil- 
liam, with whom he remained until he was 
fourteen years old. at which time he chose 
his own guardian, Mark Cole, who cared 
for our subject in a manly and fatherly man- 
ner and procured a land warrant for him, 
but the land was afterward sold for the lack 
of payment of one hundred dollars. 

Our subject's early education was limited 
to the district schools, his first school having 
been taught by his father, but he is well ed- 
ucated and he has always been a most suc- 
cessful farmer, beginning life with nothing, 
as before stated, he wisely applied his energy 
and managed his affairs with that foresight 
and discrimination that always brings suc- 
cess, and his farm properly consists of sev- 
en hundred acres of as fine land as is to be 
found in this locality. However, it has been 
divided up and apportioned among his chil- 
dren, there now being (1908) one hundred 
and ninety-three acres in the home place, 
which are kept in a high state of cultiva- 
tion and well improved, showing that a man 
of thrift and excellent executive ability has 
had the management of it. He lives in a 
7 



modem, substantial and very comfortable 
dwelling, surrounded by convenient 1 iui 
buildings, and everything denotes prosperity 
about the place. 

Our subject was united in marriage to 
Mary Atkins on April n, 1861, the daugh- 
ter of Mr. and Mrs. John Atkins, natives of 
Georgia and Tennessee, respectively, and to 
this union the following children have been 
born, named in order of birth : Fannie, who 
married Isem Lansford and had four chil- 
dren, one of whom is living; Ayers married 
Maggie Door and has four children, all liv- 
ing ; Polly married Noble Neeper and is the 
mother of eight children, all living; Mar- 
garette married Guy Neeper and has one liv- 
ing child; Eli married Vinda Owens and has 
six living children; Ida married Mel Gray 
and has three living children, one having 
died; Martha married Francis Reese and 
has one child ; May, Emmet, Hulda and 
Ruhe are all deceased ; Ira is married to 
Hattie Hoovey and has one child. 

Politically Mr. Conant is a Democrat and 
he has been School Director in his township, 
also Road Overseer. In religious matters he 
subscribes to the Cumberland Presbyterian 
faith, although he was reared a Methodist, 
to which creed his father adhered. 

Our subject is at this writing sixty-nine 
years old and is well preserved, being in 
fairly good health. As the architect of his 
own fortunes he has builded wisely and well 
and the success that crowns his efforts is 
well merited. He is broad-minded, liberal, 
progressive, public spirited and is well 
known and highly respected in the commu- 



<|N BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCEN1 HISTORY 01 

nity which has been his home Eor so many subject's mother August 2, [895, the father 

sand where he has done so much faith- surviving until December 21, j. the for- 

ful work, which has resulted in good not mer at the age of fifty-two and the latter 

to himself and family, bul also to his when sixty-eighl years old. They were the 

neighbors and the community at large. parents of five children, three boys and two 

girls, the subjecl being the third in order if 
birth. These children received every atten 
tion b} their parents, who were regarded as 

IIKXKN G \SS\1A\.\. people of the best grade in every respect 

Henry Gassmann was reared in Olney, 

Among the progressive and enterprising after his tenth year, having received a fairly 

business men of Olney, Illinois, who have good education in the common schools. 

achieved a definite measure of success in When twelve years old he wenl to work in 

line and have at the same time as- a bakery conducted by his father and learned 

sisted materially in the upbuilding and de- thetrade. When nineteen years ild he starl 

velopmenl of their section of the county, is id out for himself and worked at his track' 

Henr) Gassmann, who is deserving of men- for three years al various places in Colorado 

tion in a workof the province assigned to and New Mexico. Returning to Olney he 

the one at hand al mg with the other lead- entered the emploj of his father, continuing 

ing citizens of Richland county-, because he until the death of the latter, having in the 

has led a life that is highly commendable in meantime acquired an interest in the busi- 

every respect. ness and made himself very proficient in this 

Henr) Gassmann, the well known whole- profession. On October 31, [902, their es- 

am manufacturer and dealer in tablishmenl was destroyed by tire and the 

soda fountain supplies, was born in New loss was most severe since no insurance 

Albany, Indiana, \pril 22, [868, the son was carried. This misfortune was followed 

of Lewis and Caroline (Spangler) Gass- in December, of the same year, by the death 

mann, natives of Germany, whocame to the of the subject's father. Mr. Gassmann then 

I 'nited, Stale- when young and after their purchased such interests .1- remained from 

\ew Y irk -tale the) Incited the other heirs and, nothing daunted, he 

at New Albany. During the Civil war they started in a small way in the confectionery 

worked in a baker) and after its close began and ice cream business, which he built up 

in a bakery business, which they continued b) patient tod and careful management 1 1 

successfully until 1S7S, when they came to large proportions and became prosperous. 

ey, where the) established a similar en- In the meantime he had buill up an exten- 

terprise, carrying on the same in a most sive wholesale trade in ice cream and in 

gratifying manner until the death of the August, 1906, disposed of his retail inter 



RICHLAND. CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



<)>) 



ests. In the winter following Mr. Gassmann 
built his present handsome, modern and con- 
venient brick structure, thirty-four by sev- 
enty-twi i feet and equipped the same with all 
the necessary appliances of latest design, 
purchasing all the up-to-date machinery 
necessary in the manufacture of ice cream 
on a large scale, having a capacity of one 
thousand gallons a day. He has long sup- 
plied a heavy trade within one hundred 
miles of Olney, and new territory is con- 
stantly being added, his ice cream being 
eagerly sought after, owing to its high 
grade. 

Mr. Gassmann started a few years ago 
with nothing and he now is prosperous, be- 
ing regarded by the people of Olney as a 
good, hustling, all-round busines man. He 
also does an extensive wholesale business in 
soda water supplies in the way of syrups, 
crushed fruits, etc. 

Mr. Gassmann was united in marriage on 
November 7, 1894. with Carrie I!. Goudy, 
a native of Claremont township, Richland 
county, the daughter of John Goudy, of Ol- 
ney, who for many years was a prosperous 
farmer in Claremont township. Two sons 
have been born to the subject and wife; 
Zean G., horn 111 [896, and Louis II., who 
is ten years old in 1908. 

In politics our subject is a Republican, 
and in his fraternal relations is a member 
of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows 
at Olney. 

Airs. Gassmann is a woman of refined 
tastes and a worthy representative of her 
noble parents, Mr. and .Mrs. John S. and 



Mar\- E. (Dayton) Goudy, the former a 
native of Ohio and the latter of Pennsyl- 
vania. They were married in Ohio and 
came to Richland county, Illinois, in 1865. 

The present solid prosperity of Mr. I i 
mann is due entirely to his own efforts, di- 
rected along honorable channels, and t iday 
he enjoys an enviable standing among the 
leading men of his community and the fact 
that many of his warmest friends are those 
who have known him longest is proof that 
his life has been straightforward and honest. 



JOHN F. DONOVAN. 

The gentleman to a review of whose life 
and characteristics the reader's attention is 
herewith respectfully invited, is among the 
most progressive professional men of Mar- 
ion county, Illinois, who by energy and cor- 
rect methods has not only achieved success 
for himself, but has also contributed in a 
very material way to the commercial, indus- 
trial, civic and moral advancement of his 
place of residence. In the course of an 
honorable career he has established himself 
in a liberally remunerative enterprise and 
won the confidence and esteem of his fellow 
citizens. 

John F. Donovan was born in New York 
City November 1, 1847, the son of William 
and Mary Donovan. The lineage of this 
family, as the name implies, is traced to 
Ireland, the father of the subject having 
been born there. He was a longshoreman, 
and was called from his earthlv labors when 



loo 



BIOGRAPHICAL Wl> REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



our subject was young. The mother of the 
subject was also born in the Emerald Isle, 
and passed away comparatively young in 
life. They were Roman Catholics and peo- 
ple of sterling qualities and lino trails. They 
became the parents of two children. 

John 1*'. Donovan, our subject, was placed 
in the Juvenile Asylum in New York City, 
where he remained for about five years, or 
until he was twelve years old. lie was then 
bound to a farmer in Randolph county, Illi- 
nois. After remaining in his new home for 
about eighteen months he took a leave of 
absence and never returned. 

In [862 our subject, feeling that he could 
not conscientious!) stand idly by and see the 
nation in the throes of rebellion, enlisted in 
[862 in Company I. One Hundred and 
lenth lliinoi> Volunteer Infantry, in which 
he served for si\ months, when, greatly to 
his regret, it became necessary to drop his 
name from the company's roll on account of 
physical disability; but he later re-enlisted in 
Company C, Fifty-sixth Illinois Infantry, at 
Vicksburg, Mississippi, and served with dis- 
tinction until the close of the war, taking 
part in many hot engagements and famous 
battles lie was honorably discharged. His 
regiment was sent to Little Rock, Arkansas, 
after the grand review at Washington, and 
was finally mustered out at Springfield, Illi- 
nois, in August, 1865. 

After his career in the army Mr. Donovan 
came to ("entralia, Marion county, Illinois, 
where he remained [or about six years, then 
came to Kinmundy, where he has since re- 
sided. I le was always ;i cli 



a diligent student, and early in life decided 
that the law should he his profession, con- 
sequently he began the study of the same 
and was admitted to the bar in 1S74, since 
which tune he has devoted himself almost 
exclusively to the practice of law, winning a 
great reputation throughout this and adjoin- 
ing counties as a learned, able and careful 
exponent of this profession, never erring in 
his rool calculating - manner in drawing or 
presenting a case, whether criminal or civil, 
and he is also known as an orator of no 
mean ability. His success was instantane- 
ous and his office has always been filled with 
clients. 

Our subject was appointed postmaster of 

Kinmundy, first in 1H77. having served in a 
most acceptahle manner for eight years and 
was removed hy President Cleveland, lie 
was re-appointed in 1902 and is still ably 
serving in that capacity. He has been mayor 
of Kinmundy at different times for fifteen 
years, lie was instrumental in organizing 
the Marion County Grand Army of the Re- 
public, heing at the head of the Reunion As- 
sociation. lie has served as inspector 
general of Illinois on the national staff, also 
on the department staff, also chief mustering 
officer for Illinois. Mr. Donovan was presi- 
dent of the Southern Illinois Emigration 
and Improvement Association, also officer 
of the day of the Southern Illinois Reunion 
Association. He has held various offices in 
the Grand Army of the Republic. 

Mr. Donovan was united in marriage No- 
vember 3, 1880, to Ellen King, a native 1 C 
Mari.. n county, the daughter of John B. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



IOI 



and Rebecca J. (Evans) King, a highly re- 
spected and influential family whose people 
were from Ohio. Her father was a soldier 
in the Civil war. from Illinois, having been 
a member of Company A, Eighty-eighth 
Chicago Board of Trade Regiment, in which 
he served throughout the war. 

Mr. and Mrs. Donovan have no children. 

In his fraternal relations our subject is a 
member of the Independent Order of Odd 
Fellows and the Knights of Pythias, having 
filled all the chairs in the local lodges, and 
he has been representative of these lodges in 
the grand lodges. 

Mrs. Donovan is a member of the Presby- 
terian church. 

Mr. Donovan is a man of distinct and 
forceful individuality, of marked sagacity, 
of indomitable enterprise, and always up- 
right in his dealings with his fellow men, 
loyal and faithful to every trust imposed in 
him, public-spirited, and in manners courte- 
ous and kindly, easily approachable. His 
career has ever been such as to warrant the 
trust and confidence of the business world, 
and his activity in industrial, professional 
and civic lines and financial circles forms no 
unimportant chapter in the history of Mar- 
ion county. 



SAMUEL A. STANFORD. 

The subject of this biographical review is 
one of the eminent men of Clay county, both 
in business and civic affairs, whose indom- 
itable courage, persistent and aggressive ef- 



forts and his excellent management have 
brought to him the prosperity which is to- 
day his. He has ever stood ready to do 
w hat he could in pushing forward the wheels 
of progress and advancing commercial pros- 
perity in this vicinity and his career, both 
public and private, has been one worthy of 
the high esteem and praise which those who 
kn iw him so freely accord. 

Samuel A. Stanford, the popular County 
Treasurer of Clay county, was born in Stan- 
ford township, this county, October 2^. 
1867, and, unlike many of his contempora- 
ries who sought precarious fortune in other 
fields, he has been contented to remain at 
home. He is the son of Oren W. Stanford, 
who was also a native of Stanford township, 
having lived all his life on a farm there. He 
was a member of Company A, Ninety-eighth 
Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and served about 
two years in the Civil war. He died when 
our subject was twelve years old. in Janu- 
ary, 1879. Samuel A. Stanford, the sub- 
ject's grandfather, was of Scotch-Irish 
stock, having migrated from his homestead 
reservation in Pennsylvania to Illinois, when 
a young man, being one of the first settlers 
in Clay county, having located on a farm 
in Stanford township, which he purchased 
from the government on which he lived until 
his death in January 1879. The subject's 
mother was known in her maidenhood as' 
Mary Michaels, whose people were natives 
cf Indiana. She is at this writing living in 
Flora. The parents of the subject were 
always known to he people of much sterling 
worth. Their family consisted of the fol- 



[02 BIOGRAPHK u. \\l> REMINISCENT HISTORY 01 

lowing children: Mrs. Emma Dunmoyer, cighl children, namely: Eulalie, llallie, Oi 

"i I lora, this county; Samuel \. oui sub ren Perry; Samuel A., the fourth child is 

ject; John and James are twins, the former deceased; Robert Leland, Lester, William 

living in Piedmont, Missouri, and the latter and Edwin. These children arc receiving 

in Flora, tins state; Mrs. Bertha rhomas, good educations and careful home training 

"t Flora; Mary died in infancj . Charlej ( ). and they all give promise of successful ca- 

lives in Odin, Illinois, where he is in the reers. 
mercantile business. In his fraternal relations Mr. Stanford is 

Mr. Stanford spent his boyhood days on a member of the Masonic Ordei a< Louis 
a farm, where he attended the country ville; the Knights of Pythias at Flora, and 
schools, later attending the high school at the Independent Order of < >* I » I Fellows at 
Flora, I nit at the death of Ins i'a 1 1 in he gave Flora : als i the \\ oodmen al I .ouisville, and 
up schooling and went to work on the farm, the Eastern Star at Louisville, tie is a mi 
In [892 he engaged in the mercantile busi ber of the Christian church and Mrs. Stan- 
ness m Flora, which was a success from the Ford is also a faithful attendant of the same. 
first. Ihv was a grocer) business and the Mr. Stanford is a staunch Republican in 
manufacture of cigars and tobacco, having politics, and since moving to Louisville, De 
been thus engaged for about thirteen /ears, cember 26, [906, he has taken much interest 
his business having constantly grown until in the development of the town and is re- 
lic had an extensive trade throughout this garded as one of the representative citizens 
tlity. Then he sold 'in for the purpose of the place. He is unswerving in his al- 
of making the race for County Treasurer legiance to what he believes is right, and 
in [906, "ii the Republican ticket, to winch upholds his honesl convictions at the sacri- 
office he was duly elected and is al this fice, if need be, oi every other interest. 
writing, [908, very creditably serving, with Everything calculated to advance the in- 
entire satisfaction to everyone concerned, terests of Claj county, whether materially 
being regarded by members of both parties or otherwise, receives his support and heart] 
as one of the best county officials ( !laj conn- co-operation, 
ty ever had. lie has .1 thorough knowledge 
of the affairs of the office and is courteous 
and obliging to ever) me with whom he 

deals, therebj rendering himself popular EAR] C HUGGINS. 

with all classes. 

Mr. Stanford was united in man Coupled with Mr. Husjgins' innate ability 

November 25, [890, to Opha Dedrick, as an attorney, his unusual clearness of per- 

daughter of Perrj Dedrick, of Loogootee, ception, analytical tacl and soundness of 

Indiana, and to this union have been bom theorj is his courteous manners, persistency 




E. C. HUGGINS. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND .MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



IO3 



and unswerving integrity, rendering him 
one of the strong young attorneys of 
this locality and one of the successful prac- 
titioners of this county, and to him the fu- 
ture is particularly bright owing to his nat- 
ural ability and past splendid record. 

Earl C. Huggins. whose law and insur- 
ance office is located in Kinmundy, Illinois, 
was born in Marion county, this state, Sep- 
tember 9, 1877, and, unlike many of his 
early companions and contemporaries, who 
sought precarious fortunes in other fields, 
most of them finding merely the will-o'-the- 
wisp of success, Mr. Huggins preferred to 
remain on his native heath, believing that 
greater things awaited him right here at 
home than could be found otherwhere, and, 
judging from the success which has attended 
his efforts, such a decision was a most for- 
tunate one not only for himself, but also for 
the people of this vicinity. He is the son of 
Steven D. and Lena (Crundwell) Huggins, 
well known and influential family for many 
years in this county. Grandfather Huggins 
was a Kentuckian, having come to Illinois, 
settling in this county on a farm which he 
purchased, and on which he remained dur- 
ing the rest of his life, dying here at the age 
of seventy-five years. His widow, a grand 
old lady of beautiful Christian character, is 
still living in 1908, at the advanced age of 
ninety years. She is a faithful member of 
the Presbyterian church. 

Stephen Huggins, father of the subject, 
was born in Marion county, this state, at- 
tending the public schools here, working on 
his father's farm until he became of age, 



when he was married, after which he farmed 
for a time with much success, then moved to 
Kinmundy and followed teaming, later en- 
gaging in the coal mining business in this 
vicinity, being still interested in mining. 
His residence is in Kinmundy. 

Mrs. Lena Huggins. mother of our sub- 
ject, was brought to America from England 
when a child, and her people eventually set- 
tled at Salem, this county, where her parents 
died when she was young. She attended the 
public schools in Salem, where she remained 
until the age of sixteen. After the death of 
her parents she was taken into the family of 
Wily Cunningham, who was a soldier, hav- 
ing been killed in battle during the Civil 
war. After the death of Mr. Cunningham 
his widow married again, her second hus- 
band having been Mr. Samuel Jones. They 
moved to Stevenson township, Marion 
county, where our subject's mother re- 
mained until her marriage. 

The following children have been born to 
the subject's parents : Roy, whose date 
of birth occurred March 21, 1876, is a pain- 
ter- by trade, living at Granite City, Madi- 
son county, Illinois; and Earl C, our 
subject. 

Earl C. Huggins received his early edu- 
cation in Kinmundy, graduating from the 
high school here in 1897, after making a 
brilliant record for scholarship. Following 
this he clerked in the post-office for one 
year, then he acted as clerk in a grocery 
store for a period of one year, being an effi- 
cient clerk in both, but believing that his 
true calling lay along more worthy planes, 



'"! 



BIOGRAPHII m \M' REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



he began the stud} of law under Judge C. 
II Holt, al thai time a residenl of Kin- 
mundy, being Count) Judge at the time He 
made rapid progress in his studies and i 
tered the Illinois Wesleyan University, Col- 
lege of I .i\\. from which he graduated high 
in his class in 1903, having won a record .is 
one of the ablest pupils diat ever passed 
through this well known institution. After 
leaving the law school, Mr. Huggins Formed 
.1 partnership with his former instructor, 
Judge ll"lt. the partnership being a particu- 
larly strong one, and continuing in a most 
successful manner until August, [904, when 
the judge moved to Salem, the count) scat. 
Since that time our subject has continued 
the practice of law with his office in Kin- 
mundy, but the volume of business has been 
ver) large for one man to handle. However, 
Mr. Huggins has abl) dispensed with it all 
and is keeping his usual large number oi 
clients, his business extending well over 
Marion county and invading surrounding 
counties, being general in its nature. He is 
known as a ver) careful and conscientious 

Wor'i 

Although Mr. Huggins docs not aspire 
to positions of official preferment, he 1- at 
present serving very efficiently as city attor- 
ney of Kinmundy, being in his second term. 
In politics he is .1 loyal Republican, and his 
influence can always be depended upon in 
placing the best men in the county offices 
and in support of all movements looking to 
the development of the community at large, 
whether political, educational or moral. 

Fraternally our subject 1- affiliated with 



the Masonic Order and the Knights of Pyth- 
ias, h.i\ ing filled the chairs in the latter, and 
one would judge from a study of his daily 
life that he advocates the sublime principles 
of these praisewi irth) 1 irders. 



BENNE I l M. M VXEY. 

The efforts of the subject of this sketch 
have proven ol the greatest value to his Eel 
low citi ens as well as to himself, lie has 
shaped In- career along worthy lines, and 
they have been discerningly directed along 
well defined channels of endeavor, lie is a 
man of distinct and forceful individuality, 
of marked sagacity, >>\ undaunted enterprise, 
and in manner he is genial, courteous ami 
easily appr 'ached. I lis career has ever been 
such as t,; warrant the trust and confidence 
of the business world and Ins activity in in 
dustrial, commercial and financial circles. 
forms no unimportant chapter in the history 
of ( la\ county. 

Bennett M. Maxey, publisher of the Flora 
[ournal, was born in Johnsonville, Wayne 
county, 1 11m. 'is. November 25, [856, the son 
of Joshua C Maxey, a name ^i Jefferson 

county, this state, where he spent the greater 
part of his life on a farm, lie was a ser- 
geant in Company I. Forty-eighth Illinois 
Volunteer Infantry, and took part in the bat- 
tles of Pittsburg Landing, siege of Vicks- 
burg and other noted battles, lie was killed 
while in service at Louisville, Kentucky, 
near the close of the war. lie was u. 

ed l>\ his comrades as a brave and gallant 



RICHLAND, (LAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



IO: 



soldier. Bennett Maxey, the subject's pa- 
ternal grandfather, was one of the iriginal 
settler- of Jefferson county, where he de- 
rated his life to farming, and lived to an 
advanced age. < )ur subject is a descendant 
of a prominent pioneer family of Jefferson 
county. The subject's mother was Elvira 
A. Galbraith, whose people were earl 
tiers of Wayne county. She passed to her 
rest in 1887. Mr. and Mrs. Joshua C. Max- 
ey were the parents of five children, three of 
whom are living at this writing. They are 
Dennett M.. Mrs. Belle Sanders, of Du 
Quoin, Illinois, and Mrs. Mattie Vickrey, 
1 f Missoula, Montana. 

.Mrs. Maxey was educated in the common 
schools of Johnsonville, Wayne county, and 
in Xenia, Clay county. He also attended 
school in Valparaiso, Indiana, having 
graduated from that institution in 1880, 
completing the teacher's course. After leav- 
ing the university he taught school for five 
years. In 1881 he engaged in the drug 
business at Xenia which he conducted until 
1887, when he sold out and went to Cali- 
fornia, where he remained for four years, 
engaged in the real estate business and 
ranching. He returned to Clay county in 
[889 and located in Flora, where he has 
since resided. He was associated with J. 
L. Black in the real estate and insurance 
business until 1898, in which year he 
launched in the mercantile business in 
which lie engaged until 1904. when he 
bought The Southern Illinois Journal, the 
leading local paper of Flora, which he has 
continued to manage up to this writing 
with increasing success. 



Mr. Maxey has other interest rious 

natures, being interested financially in 
eral local enterpri es He lias served as 
City Alderman, during which time he li 
well to the city's development in every way 
p ■ ible. 

Mr. Maxey was united in marriage in 
r88o, to Rosa Tully, of Xenia, a nati 
Clay county. No children have been horn 
to tin's union. 

In his fraternal relations, our subject is a 
member of the Independent Order of Odd 
Fellows, the Masonic Fraternity and the 
Order of Eastern Star. Both he and Mrs. 
Maxey are members of the Methodist 
church. In politics he is a Republican and 
always loyal to its policies. His paper is an 
important factor in local political affairs. It 
n a good footing and the plant is well 
equipped and modern, having a cylinder 
press and gas power. Mr. Maxey owns the 
building in which the plant is located, and 
he also owns his residence property. He 
deserves a great deal of credit for what he 
has accomplished, for his success in the va- 
rious lines <,f business he has followed has 
been won in the face of obstacles and by his 
unaided efforts. 



A. W. SONGER. 



Our subject possesses untiring energy, is 
quick of perception, forms his plans readily 
and is determined in their execution; his 
close application to business and his excel- 
lent management have brought to him the 



io6 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



high degree of prosperity which is today 
his. Mr. Songer was one of the brave sons 
of the North who offered his services and 
his life, if need be, in the suppression of the 
great rebellion during the dark days of the 
sixties, which render it fitting that he should 
be given conspicuous notice in the present 
historical work. 

\. \\ . Songer, the well known and popu- 
lar president of the First National Bank of 
Kinmundy, Illinois, was born in Clay 
county, this state, November 2, 1832, the 
son of Frederick and Jane (Helms) Songer, 
a sterling pioneer family of that locality. 
Grandfather Songer was a native of Vir- 
ginia, a fine old southern gentleman. He 
devoted his life to agricultural pursuits, 
eventually moving to Indiana where he 
spent the balance of his days. His marriage 
occurred in Virginia and most of his family 
were born there. He was called from his 
earthly career when about sixty years old. 
He was a Lutheran in his religious affilia- 
tions. Eight children were born to this 
family, one of them having become a soldier 
in the Black I lawk war. Grandmother. 
Songer, a woman of many strong attributes, 
survived her husband until she reached the 
advanced age of eighty years. Grandfather 
Helms was also a native of Virginia, who 
moved to Louisville, Kentucky, and from 
there to Tennessee, where he worked at his 
Made of blacksmith. Charles, one of his 
sons, moved to Indiana, where he spent the 
remainder of his life, having lived many 
years near Indianapolis. The balance of 
the family were early settlers in Illinois and 



from here scattered to the western states, 
principally to Nebraska and Texas. One of 
them was a soldier in the Black Hawk war 
and another fought in the Mexican war. 
The Songer family, represented by the 
great-grandmother of our subject, was 
From Germany. The great-great-grand- 
father of the subject died in Germany, his 
widow coming to America shortly after his 
death, one of her children dying on the 
ocean on the way over. She settled in 
Virginia. 

The father of the subject remained in 
Virginia until he was about twenty-two 
years old. He received only such education 
as the public schools afforded at that early 
day. However, he became a well informed 
man. He was a carpenter and builder of 
considerable note. He lived for some time 
in Indiana, where he was married, later 
moving to Illinois about 1821, settling in 
Clay county, where he remained until 1835, 
when he moved to Marion county, entering 
about two hundred acres of land from the 
government which he transformed into a 
fine farm through his habits of industry and 
skill as an agriculturist, living on this until 
1872, in which year he moved to Kinmundy, 
where he died at the age of seventy-three 
years, owning an excellent farm which he 
left as an estate. He became a man of 
considerable influence in his community, 
lie was an active and loyal member of the 
Methodist church as was also his wife. 
He was a Justice of the Peace for a num- 
ber of year--. For a time he owned and 
successfully operated a saw and grist mill. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



I07 



There were ten children in this family, 
seven of whom lived to maturity. A brother 
of our subject. Samuel T., was a soldier in 
the Civil war. a member of Company G, 
Twenty-first Illinois Volunteer Infantry, 
having served for three years, engaging in 
all the campaigns and battles of his regi- 
ment up to the date of his discharge which 
was at the termination of his enlistment. 
He is living in 1908 and is a member of the 
Grand Army of the Republic, in which he 
takes a just pride. William F., brother of 
the subject, was also a soldier, having per- 
formed conspicuous service in the Mexican 
war. He was at one time State Representa- 
tive in Oregon, in which state he still re- 
sides as also does Samuel T., another 
brother of the subject, living at Ashland. 

A. W. Songer, our subject, received his 
early education in the common schools of 
Illinois. Being a diligent student and am- 
bitious from the start he has become well 
educated. He remained on the' home farm 
assisting his father with the work about the 
place during the months that he was not in 
school until he was twenty-one years old. 
Learning the carpenter's trade, he followed 
this for three years, then in 1861, when he 
felt his patriotic zeal inspired as the result 
of our national integrity being at stake 
when the fierce fires of rebellion were rag- 
ing in the Southland, he enlisted in Company 
G. Twenty-first Illinois Volunteer Regi- 
ment, having been mustered in as second 
lieutenant and was soon promoted to first 
lieutenant and consequently served as an 
officer of that regiment for four years and 



five days when he was honorably discharged 
at the close of the war in 1865, after having 
taking a conspicuous part in the follow- 
ing engagements : Perry ville. Kentucky ; 
Stone River, Tennessee; Chickamaugua, 
having been captured at this battle and was 
taken to Libby prison, where he remained 
three months, when he was sent to prison 
at Macon, Georgia, later to Charleston, 
South Carolina, thence to Columbia, South 
Carolina, then to Wilmington, North Caro- 
lina, where he was exchanged, after having 
been a prisoner seventeen months and eight 
days, and thirty days thereafter he was mus- 
tered out of the service at St. Louis, Mis- 
souri. 

After the war Mr. Songer returned to his 
home in Illinois and worked at his trade for 
a time. He then came to Kinmundy and 
entered into the milling business in which he 
continued with the most gratifying results 
until 1907, becoming known throughout the 
locality as one of the leading men in this 
line of business. He sold his mill and de- 
voted his attention to the banking business 
in which he has been eminently successful. 
He had been connected with the State Bank 
of Kinmundy for some time, becoming 
president of the same. It was consolidated 
with the First National Bank, becoming the 
First National on August 26, 1906, the date 
of the consolidation, since which time Mr. 
Songer has been president. This is one of 
the solidest and most popular institutions 
of its kind in this part of the state and its 
prestige was greatly strengthened when Mr. 
Si nger became its head for the public at 



io8 



BIOGRAPHK \l. VND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



once realized that their funds would be en- 
tirely safe in lii^ hands owing to his con- 
servatism, coupled with his peculiar business 
sagacity, and since then the business of the 
First National has grown steadily. 

domestic life of our subject dates 
from [868, when he was united in marriage 
with Margaret C. Xelm. of Cairo, [llinois, 
the daughter of Norflett and Lydia (Dick- 
ens) Xelm. Her paternal ancestor, Dick- 
ens, was a soldier in the Revolutionary war. 

which rendered the wife of Our suhject 

eligible to the ( >rder of Sons and Daughters 
of the American Revolution. The grand- 
father of the subject's wife was a Bap- 
tist minister. Tier father was a soldier in 
the Black Hawk war. One of her brothers, 
X. 11. Xelm, was a soldier in the Civil war, 
having served until the close of the war. 

Three children have been born to the sub- 
ject and wife as follows: Mary E., born 
December 25, 1871, is the wife of J. T. 
Brown, of Marion county ; Frederick is 
married and living in Kinmundy. Neither 
of them have children of their own. The 
third child of the subject and wife died in 
infancy. 

.Mrs. Songer was called to her rest Sep- 
temher 9, 11)07. after a most happy and har- 
monious married life and one that was 
beautified by Christian character and many 
kind and charitable deeds which made her 
beloved by all who knew her. She was a 
loyal member of the Methodist church, and 
a member of the Daughters of the American 
Revolution, of which order Mary E. 
1 Songer ) Brown was also a member. 



Mr. Songer, as might be expected, is a 
consistent member of the Grand Army of 
the Republic, Post 255, known as the Hix 
Post. He is now commander of the same. 
In politics he is a Republican and is well 
grounded in his political beliefs, his influ- 
ence always being felt for the good of his 
party and in support of the best men pos- 
sible for local offices. 1 le has never aspired 
to positions of trust ami emolument at the 
hands of Ins fellow voters. However, he has 
been Alderman of the city of Kinmundy 
several times. His efforts have proven of 
the greatest benefit to his fellow men of 
Marion county as well as to himself. 



CHRISTIAN II \SLER. 

It is a well authenticated fact that suc- 
cess comes not as tin 1 caprice of chance, hut 
as the legitimate result of well applied en- 
ergy, unflagging determination and perse- 
verance in a course of action once decided 
upon by the individual. Only those who 
diligently seek the goddess Fortuna, find 
her — she never was known to smile upon 
the idler and the dreamer. The subject ot 
this sketch clearly understood this fact early 
in life when lie was casting about for a le- 
gitimate and promising line to follow, and 
in tracing his life history it is plainl) seen 
thai the prosperity he enjoys has been won 
by commendable qualities, and it is also his 
personal w nth which has gained for him 
the good standing among his fellow citizens 
-1' Richland county. 



RICHLAND. CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



hi.) 



Christian Hasler, the well known harness 
and saddle manufacturer, and dealer in 
hides, fertilizers, etc., of Olney, Illinois, is a 
citizen of the United States by adoption 
only, being one of that thrifty class from 
the little Republic of Switzerland, who has 
done so much toward promoting onr insti- 
tutions, for lie was born in the Canton of 
Berne, September 20, 1845, the son of Peter 
and Margaret (Von Alman) Hasler, also 
natives of that place. The father was a 
small farmer and gardener and died when 
the subject was a child. The Von Almans 
were also farmers. The mother came to 
the United States and brought a family of 
five children with her, having come direct 
to Olney, Illinois, in 1857. She passed to 
her rest here in 1865. Our subject was 
twelve years old when he came to Olney. 
He worked on a farm in the summer and 
attended school in the winter. He had lim- 
ited opportunities to attend school, but he 
gained a fairly good foundation for an edu- 
cation which he has since added to by home 
study and contact with the business world. 

Mr. Hasler early decided to learn the har- 
ness business and in the fall of 1863 he was 
apprenticed to a harness maker at Clare- 
mont, where he worked faithfully until the 
spring of 1865, when he felt it his duty to 
no longer repress the feeling that he should 
stand by the Union in its hour of sore trial, 
consequently he enlisted in Company E, One 
Hundred and Fifty-fifth Regiment Illinois 
Volunteers, and served until the close of the 
war in a most gallant manner, having been 
mustered out at Murfreesboro. Tennessee, 
in September. 1865. He did duty at Nash- 



ville, Tullahoma, and Murfreeboro, having 
been on guard duty the major part of the 
time on the railroads. 

After the war Mr. Hasler returned to 
Claremont township, and finished learning 
his trade, and in 1867, he opened a harness 
shop in Olney, which he has conducted con- 
tinuously since that time. It is among the 
oldest established businesses in Olnev. and 
the oldest in this line in the county. It has 
become generally known throughout the lo- 
cality and his trade has been lively from 
the first, numbering his customers by the 
hundreds all over the county. He has not 
only made a comfortable living from his 
shop from year to year, but has been en- 
abled to lay by a competency for his old age. 

Mr. Hasler was united in marriage in 
1869 to Susan Bohren, a native of Berne, 
Switzerland, who came to the United States 
with her father. Christian Bohren, when six 
years old, locating in Olney. Her father 
was a carpenter and died here. Her mother 
died in Switzerland and Mr. Bohren remar- 
ried in the United States. Nine children 
have been born to the subject and wfe. three 
of whom died in infancy. Those living are: 
Sue ; Robert, who is in the harness business 
in Vandalia ; Laura, the wife of E. S. Hoog, 
who resides in Chicago; Rosilla ; Ellen is 
the wife of J. W. Mayhood, of Chicago; 
Charles Edward. 

Mr. Hasler always handles a good grade' 
of material and the work he turns out is high- 
class. He has a carefully selected stock and 
never loses a customer as a result of handling 
inferior goods or unfair treatment. 

In politics our subject is a Bryan Demo- 



I 111 



RAPHICA1 \M> REMINISCEN1 HISTORY OF 



crat. He sen ed as Supervisor n the County 
1 for two terms, from the third ward, 
which is strongly Republican ; this fact shows 
thru the subject is popular and well lik 
his own neghborhood. He was the onlj Dem 
. crat ever elected From that ward to thai p i- 
sition. In his fraternal relations he is :i 
member of the Masonic Blue Ledge and 
Chapter, also the Modern Woodmen of 
America. He and his wife are members 
of the German Reformed church and no 
members if that congregation stand higher 
in general favor than they, for they arc re- 
garded as scrupulously honest, kind and wor 
thy citizens in every respect, numbering their 
friends bv the sci n e 



JAMES IIKXRY KIMBERL1X. 

Upon the roll of representative citizens 
and prominent and influential business men 
of Marion county consistently appears the 
name which initiates this paragraph. He 
has been a resilient of Salem for many years, 
during which time he has gradually won his 
way into the affections of the people, for 
lie possesses those sterling qualities of char- 

er which commend themselves to persons 
of intelligence and the highest morality, so 
it is no cause for wonder that he has 
achieved so high a position in the general 
estimation of all who have come in touch 
with him. For main years he was a pro- 
fessional man. gaining wide popularity in 
this manner, but he is now rendering effici- 
ice at the Salem posl 



Janice Henry Kimberlin was born in 
Richland county, Illinois, January 18, i860, 
the -"ii of W. O. Kimberlin, a native of In- 
diana, having been horn February 2. 1826, 
near Scottsburg, Scott county. He left In- 
diana and came to Richland county, Illinois, 
in 1N50. settling on a farm where he be- 
came known as one of the progressive agri- 
culturists of that community and made a 
comfortable living until the year 1884, 
when he was called from his earthly lab rs 
by the "grim reaper". His w idow, who was 
Hannah E. Reed, born near Salem. Wash- 
ington county, Indiana, October 31, 1825, 
a woman of many praiseworthy traits, is 
living on the old homestead there at this 
writing ( 1908). being eighty-three years 
old, yet able to do her own house work. 
Her long life has been one of self-sacrifice 
for the good of her family and others so that 
now in her serene old age she can look back 
over the years without cause for regret. The 
father of our subject was a soldier in the 
Union ranks during the great Civil war. 
having been a member of Company F, 
Fort) sixth Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He 
was with Grant at Vicksburg and was in 
man) other important battles. He was in 
the hospital service for some time, also did 
general duty at New < Weans, having re- 
mained in the service up to January 1 _\ 
[866, when he was discharged at Baton 
Rouge, Louisiana, and arrived home Febru- 
ary 2d, following which was his fortieth 
birthday. He had two brothers killed in 
battle during this war. Their names were 
Daniel and [ach. Another brother. Isaac 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



Ill 



M., went through the service in the Seventh 
and Eleventh Missouri Volunteer Infantry, 
having been a member of Company G. Dr. 
H. L. Kimberlin, another brother of the 
subject's father, who is now living at 
Mitchell, Indiana, was a Government Re- 
porter on Governor Morton's staff. 

The paternal grandfather of the subject 
was Jacob Kimberlin, a native of Pennsyl- 
vania, who came to Indiana when a young 
man. He devoted his life to farming and 
died about 1871. He was well known about 
Greenfield, where he operated a toll gate, 
subsequent to the war. The subject's ma- 
ternal grandfather was Joseph Reed, of 
Scotch-English ancestry. 

Eight children were born to the parents 
of the subject, only two of whom are now 
living. George W., the subject's only living 
brother, is living at Noble, Richland county, 
with his mother on the old farm. Among 
the papers held by the Kimberlins is the 
original land grant by the government for 
their old homestead made to Joseph Reed 
and signed by President Franklin Pierce. 

James Henry Kimberlin. our subject, 
spent his boyhood on the parental farm in 
Richland county where he performed his 
part of the work about the place from year 
to year after he reached the age when he 
could be of valuable service to his father. 
He attended the neighboring schools in the 
meantime where he applied himself in a 
manner which insured a good education. 
After leaving school and working at vari- 
ous minor employments for several years 
he finally accepted a position as commercial 



traveler which he followed with marked 
success for three and one-half years, giving 
entire satisfaction to his employers, when, 
much to their regret he was compelled to 
tender his resignation on account of tem- 
porary ill health. After this our subject 
took up the study of ophthalmology, which 
he decided should be his life work, conse- 
quently he made rapid progress in this work, 
having attended the Northern Illinois Col- 
lege of Ophthalmology at Chicago, from 
which institution he graduated with high 
honors with the degree of Fellow of Optics 
in 1892. He at once began practice and 
his success was instantaneous, having prac- 
ticed at Olney. Shelbyville and Salem, hav- 
ing established his business in the last named 
city in 1900, since which time he has been a 
resident of this city. His work in this line 
was always considered first class and he 
achieved wide popularity in the same. 

Mr. Kimberlin was, however, induced to 
give up his profession to become deputy 
post-master of this city, which position he is 
filling' to the entire satisfaction of all con- 
cerned, showing that he has rare executive 
as well professional ability. 

Mr. Kimberlin was united in marriage to 
Eva Myers, November 19, 1903, the daugh- 
ter of the late Theodore Myers, of Iuka, Illi- 
nois, and the accomplished representative of 
a well known family. One child, a bright 
and interesting lad, bearing the name of' 
James Henry Kimberlin. Jr., was born to 
the subject and wife May 4, 1905. 

Mrs. Kimberlin is one of a family of five 
children. One child died after reaching; ma- 



I [2 



BIOGR AI'IIH'AL AMI REMINISCENT HISTORY OK 



turity. Theodore Myers was a fanner, and 
was a soldier in the Civil war. 

In his political affiliations our subject is a 
strong Republican, and he is a well informed 
man on political and all current questions, 
lie is a Protestant in his religious belief. He 
is recognized a- a man of sterling integrity 
and of strong convictions as to all matters 
affecting the best interests of the community 
and is always found on the right side qi 
v nmral issue. 



WILLIAM GILLHAM WILSON. 

I he subject of this sketch occupies toda] 
a prominent position in the professr ma l 
world of Marion and adjoining counties and 
he deserves all the more credit for this from 
the fact that he started out in life practicall) 
empty handed, therefore has been the arch' 
tect of his own fortunes, relying almost sole- 
ly upon his own resources for the start 
which lie had and for the success which he 

i hieved. In an analyzation of his char- 
acter we find many elements worthy of cum 
mendation and emulation, lie did nol seek 
for fortune's favors, but se1 oul to win them 
by honest work, and the success which ever 
crowns earnest, honest t « » i 1 is today his, and 

isily stands in the front rank of attor 
neys in this locality, which In- long been 
noted for its high legal talent, and while yet 
a young man, vigorous and in the zenith of 
his mental and physical powers, he is rap- 
idly winning his way to a position of much 
credit and significance in the great common- 
er] lie can claim as hi- native land . 



.Mid while winning his way gradually up 
the steep- to individual success he has nol 
neglected his duties to his fellow citizen-. 
but has benefited very materially the com- 
munity is which he lives in many ways, 
thereby winning and retaining the well met 
ited esteem of all classes. 

William (j. Wilson was born in Madison 
county. Illinois, in 1N7J, the son of John C. 
and Elizabeth (Gillham) Wilson. The Wil- 
son family has long been prominent and in- 
fluential in that part of the state. Grand- 
father John Wilson was born in Pennsyl- 
vania, but came to Pike county, Ohio, set- 
tling on a farm, later coming to Marion 
county, Illinois, in 1S40. taking up one thou- 
sand and eight hundred acres of land on the 
prairie, which he developed until it became 
very valuable, still holding it at the time of 
his death, which occurred when he had 
reached the advanced age of eighty-nine. 
Both Mr. and Mrs. John Wilson were mem- 
bers of the Methodist Episcopal church. The 
latter is supposed to have come from Ken- 
tucky. They were the parents of a large 
family. Mr. Wilson was Justice of the 
I 'eace for some time. 

him C. Wilson, father of the subject, was 
horn in I'ike county, Ohio, and there re- 
ceived his early education in a log school- 
house of pioneer days. Leaving the Buck- 
eye state he came to Illinois, settling in Ma- 
rion county in 1S52, entering land from : 
government. Me had about seven hundred 

acres of g 1 prairie laud, which he devel 

oped into a valuable farm and which is now 
known as the John ( '. Wilson farm. Here 
our subject's father lived until his death. 





w^^ 






1 


B *H 


TT 






pupma. 


pbhippi 





RES GFW.C.WUfOTi. Kf&.^y>JY W 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



113 



which occurred at the age of seventy-seven 
years. He was a man of many sterling traits 
of character and bore an excellent reputa- 
tion. Both he and his faithful life companion 
were members of the Methodist Episcopal 
church. 

Grandfather Gillham came from the At- 
lantic coast country and settled in Madison 
county, Illinois, during the earliest epoch of 
the pioneer days, before the state was ad- 
mitted to the Union, and when wild beasts 
and red men roamed the hills and prairies. 
He remained there until his death. In that 
locality the subject's mother was reared and 
was married there in the early sixties. She 
came to Marion county. The father was 
twice married, the name of his first wife 
being Hults. Eight children were born to 
this union. She passed to her rest in the 
fifties. The subject's mother was John C. 
Wilson's second wife, who bore him seven 
children, four of whom lived to maturity. 
The mother is living in 1908, at the age of 
seventy-four years. She is a woman of many 
fine personal traits and beautiful Christian 
character. 

William G. Wilson, our subject, first at- 
tended the district schools in Marion coun- 
ty, working on his father's farm in the mean- 
time. Being ambitious and a diligent stu- 
dent, he received a good common school ed- 
ucation. Leaving the public schools when 
nineteen years old he entered Austin College 
at Effingham, Illinois, where he made a bril- 
liant record for scholarship, standing high 
in his class. 

After leaving school he taught school for 



five years, devoting five years also to teach- 
" ing in Champaign county, this state, where 
he became widely known as an able instruc- 
tor and where his services were in great de- 
mand. But, believing that his true life work 
lay along other channels, he began the study 
of law with Schaefer & Rhodes, of Cham- 
paign, under whose instruction he made 
rapid progress. He was then admitted to 
practice at Mt. Vernon, Illinois. Mr. Wil- 
son then began practice at Kinmundy, be- 
ing remarkably successful from the first, and 
it was plain to be seen that an attorney of 
unusual sagacity and innate ability had risen 
to command the attention of that part of the 
state. He has remained in practice at this 
place since that time with the most gratify- 
ing results, having frequently been called 1 1 
other localities on important cases. He is 
cool and calculating, never erring in his le- 
gal proceedings, whether handling a civil or 
criminal suit, and he stands high in the esti- 
mation not only of the public but the legal 
profession throughout this part of Illinois. 

Mr. Wilson was happily married April 7, 
1896, to Mollie Poole, a native of this 
county and the representative of a prominent 
and influential family, being the daughter of 
Abraham and Martha (Malone) Poole. Mr. 
Poole was born and reared in Marion coun- 
ly. He was a soldier in the Civil war, being 
a member of the One Hundred and Eleventh 
Illinois Volunteer Infantry, receiving an 
honorable discharge after serving for three 
years. 

Four bright and interesting children have 
been born to our subject and wife as fol- 



i M 



BIOGRAPHICAL v\l> REMINISCEN1 HISTORY OF 



lows: Basil, born August 7, [897, who is at- 

ding the public schools in [908; Russi 
was born October -•-'. 1899; Ruth was born 
June i-|. 1904; Byron first saw the light 
January tl, V 

The beautiful and nicely furnished 
home of the subject is presided over with 
ace and dignity by Mrs. Wilson, a 
woman of many commendable attributes, 
who delights in giving her children ever) 
care and attentii 

Fraternally our subject is affiliated with 
the Masonic < Irder and the [ndependent » h 
der of Odd Fellows, having passed through 
chairs of the latter lodge. In politics he 
is a loyal Republican, and he at one tunc per- 
formed the duties of Police Magistrate, with 
much credit to himself and with much satis- 
faction to all concerned, lie was also Tax 
Collector. 

Mr. Wilson belongs to the class of citi- 
zens whose lives do not show any meteoric 
( Hi cts, but who by their support of the mor- 
al, political and social status for the general 
good, prom real welfare of their re 

spective communities and are therefore de 
In mi irable mention 1 m the pages 
of history. 



I \ 1 . 1 ; I ', F. WIELAND 

The prominence of the subject of this 
-ketch in connect! m with the industrial and 
civic affair- of Richland county is such that 

1 the leading busi- 
ness men and influential citizens of this lo- 



cality, being identified with enterprises of 
wide scope and importance, and being 
known as a progressive and public spirited 

citizen. The apparent ease with which he 
has mounted to in- present commanding p >- 
sition in the commercial world, mark- him 
a- the possessor of talent- beyond the 111 1 
jorit) of hi- brethren, and. being a close and 
critical Student of nun and affairs, he ex- 
periences no difficulty in sustaining the high 
reputation which hi- business talent- and 
marked success have earned for him. 

Caleb h. Wieland, a member of the hard- 
ware linn of Jolly. Wieland & Richardson, 
one of the best known ami extensive firms 
<>i this nature 111 Southern Illinois, wa- horn 
in Muscatine, Iowa. June 25, 1S5S. the son 
of Frederick and Mary (Eberhart) Wie- 
land. natives of Cant in Berne, Switzerland, 
where they were reared and married, soon 
afterward coming to the United States, lo- 
cating in Muscatine. The subject's father 
worked there for many years, then moved 
to Jefferson City, Missouri, lie enlisted in 
a Missouri regiment in the Union army, and 
served for more than three years until the 
cl ise of the war. lie saw much active -cr 
vice and was in numerous engagements, but 
was not wounded. \fler the war he re 
turned to Jefferson City, Missouri, and in 
[866, came to Olney, Illinois, where he lived 
until hi- death in [873, at the age of fifty 
years. Hi- wife survived him several years, 
dying in 1896, at the age 1 if sixty-five. The) 
were people of much sterling worth and 
highly honored wherever they lived. They 
were the parents of -ix children, four of 



RICHLAND. CLAN' AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



"5 



whom grew to maturity, the subject being 
the oldest in order of birth. 

Caleb F. Wieland was a boy when he 
came to Olney, where he was reared and 
where he received a limited education, hav- 
ing been obliged to go to work when young 
and help support the family. He was am- 
bitious and fought against every obstacle 
and early in life decided to take up the 
hardware business, consequently when sev- 
enteen years old he entered the hardware 
store of William Rhode as clerk in the same 
building where be is now interested, and he 
has continued in this line ever since at the 
same location, having been with different 
firms until the present firm was organized 
in [904, when he became a partner. They 
carry a stock of about twenty thousand dol- 
lars, consisting of all kinds of hardware, 
carefully selected and they also do an exten- 
sive plumbing, heating, tinware and galvan- 
ized iron work, their trade extending to all 
parts of the county and is always on the in- 
crease, having been built up to its present 
large proportions very largely through the 
efforts of our subject. The firm occupies 
a substantial and c mvenient building twen- 
ty-two by one hundred and eighty-five feet, 
three stories in height. The entire building 
is occupied. It is one of the largest and 
most successful lines of business in the 
ci unity. 

Mr. Wieland was united in mar- 
riage in 188S to Lulu St. John, a native 
of Olney, who was born, reared and married 
in the same house, the affable and genial 
daughter of M. M. and Mira Louise 



( Cralle) St. John, who were among the pio- 
neers of Richland county, and people of 
many praiseworthy traits. 

Five children have been born to the sub- 
ject and wife, namely: Esther Alean, Ber- 
nice May. Gerald Hazen, Mary Louise, 
Frank Clifford, all bright and interesting 
with promise of successful futures. 

In politics Mr. Wieland is a loyal Re- 
publican. He very ably and creditably 
served as Alderman for one term of two 
years, from the second ward. 

Mr. and .Mrs. Wieland have earned and 
occupy a position of high regard in their 
community, being numbered among the 
most prominent citizens of Olney and whose 
efforts are always directed toward the moral, 
social and material uplifting of society 



GEORGE COX. 



In the field of political life, teaching and 
the railroad business in Marion county, Illi- 
nois, the subject of this sketch has won dis- 
tinction, and today is numbered among the 
leading, influential and honored citizens of 
Salem. He has figured prominently in pub- 
lic affairs, ever lending his influence in the 
development of all worthy causes looking to 
the development of the locality at large, be- 
ing an advocate of progressive measures. 
He is now filling the position of Deputy 
County Clerk and the promptness and 
fidelity with which he discharges his duties 
have won for him the favorable criticism of 



i [6 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



leading representatives of both political 
parties. 

George Cox was burn in Parke county, 

Indiana. July 11, [848, and came to Iuka, 
Illinois, September 4, 1868. His father was 
Alfred Cox, a native of Ohio, who migrated 
to Indiana when a very small boy. Joshua 
Cox, grandfather of George Cox, was a na- 
tive of Hamilton county. Ohio, who mi- 
grated to Indiana at a very early date and 
entered land when the United States land 
office was at Vincennes, he being compelled 
to go to Vincennes to make his payments, 
making the trip on horseback, and it was his 
custom to camp and hunt on the way. 
Grandfather Cox was a farmer of great 
abilitj for those early times. His widow 
survived him several years. George W. 
Overpeck. grandfather of the subject on 
his mother's side, was born in Pennsylvania. 
Ill- father and mother having died in early 
life he drifted to Hamilton county, Ohio, 
and died in the spring of [867, having been 
survived several years by his widow. They 
spent their lives on a farm. 

I lie father of the subject is now a resi- 
dent of Illinois and makes his home among 
his children here and at Shattuc, this state. 
The mother of the subject was known in her 
maidenhood as Mary Overpeck. a native of 
Ohio. She passed to her rest in April, 1902, 
at Shattuc, Illinois, at the home of her 
daughter. Both the father and the mother 
of our subject were the oldest representa- 
tive- of their respective families. Following 
children were born to them, seven of whom 
are living at this writing, 1908, named in 



order of birth as follows: George, our sub- 
ject : .Mary Jane, wife of V. B. Anderson, 
of Shattuc, Illinois; Sally Ann, wife of H. 
C. Brown, of \ andalia, Illinois; John, of 
Clinton county, near lluey, Illinois; 
Amanda, deceased: Terry, of Iuka township, 
this county: Warner, of Decatur. Illinois; 
Eva. deceased ; Julia is the wife of Milton 
Andrews, of Ouray, Colorado; Libby is de- 
ceased as are also the last two children born 
to this couple. 

George Cox was reared on the parental 
farm in Parke county, Indiana, and attended 
the common schools there, also the graded 
schools by working mornings and evenings 
to pay his tuition, as his parents were poor 
and could not defray the expenses of an edu- 
cation for our subject, but he was possessed 
of an indomitable will and forged ahead 
despite obstacles winning definite success in 
after life as a result of his energy and per- 
sistency. After completing the course of 
study laid down in the graded schools he at- 
tended school at Rockville for a time, after 
which he taught school with great success 
for several years, becoming known as one 
of the able educators of the county and his 
services were in great demand. He con- 
tinued teaching until his health failed. He 
then went to railroading, locating in Iuka 
September 4, i8(>8, as indicated before. He 
attended school that winter at Xenia, Illi- 
nois, passing the examination for teacher's 
license. He then took a course in the Wa- 
bash Commercial College at Vincennes, In- 
diana, after which he returned to railroading 
first as brakeman. then a freight conductor, 



RI( II I. AMi. CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



n; 



later as passenger conductor on the old Ohio 
& Mississippi Railroad, now the Baltimore 
& Ohio, Southwestern Railroad. During 
all these years of railroad service he would 
at times return to teaching school in both 
Indiana and Illinois. In 1880 our subject 
moved on a farm in Iuka township and for 
twenty-one consecutive years taught school 
during the winter months, farming the re- 
mainder of the year. He made a success of 
whatever he undertook whether it was farm- 
ing, teaching or railroading. In the latter 
he won the confidence of his employers who 
regarded him as one of their most valuable 
employes. 

In April, 1908, Mr. Cox became Deputy 
County Clerk, which position he is holding 
with much credit to his innate ability and 
to the entire satisfaction of all concerned. 

When teaching school our subject was 
principal of the Iuka schools. He was of- 
fered many important positions as a teacher 
but declined as he desired to teach near 
home and live at home. 

Mr. Cox was united in marriage in 1879 
to Mary E. Young, the talented and accom- 
plished daughter of W. J. Young, of Iuka 
township, one of the pioneers of Marion 
county. Mr. Young was an influential citi- 
zen and served as a lieutenant during the 
Civil war. 

One child was born to the subject and 
wife who died in infancy. 

Mr. Cox still owns a valuable farm of 
eighty acres in which he takes a great inter- 
est, having improved it up to a high stand- 
ard cif Marion county's valuable farms, it 



ranking with the best of them. It is located 
four and one-half miles southeast of Iuka. 
An excellent residence and several substan- 
tial out buildings stand on the place. 

Mr. Cox has been a candidate for County 
Superintendent of Schools at different times 
but was defeated by a few votes. In poli- 
tics he is a Democrat. In his fraternal re- 
lations he is affiliated with the Masons at 
Iuka and is an honorary member of the 
Modern Woodmen. Both Mr. and Mrs. 
Cox are members of the Methodist Episco- 
pal church and both belong to the Eastern 
Star. 



THOMAS J. CLARK. 

The subject of this biographical review 
is eminently deserving of mention in a com- 
pilation as is the nature of this one, owing 
to the fact that his has been an active life, 
fruitful of good results and among his 
friends and acquaintances he has ever held 
an honorable position. 

Thomas J. Clark, publisher of The Clay 
County Democrat and one of the men of 
influence in this part of the great Prairie 
state, was born in Hancock county, Indiana. 
August 4, 1853, the son of Aruna Clark, 
who was a native of Sevier county, Tennes- 
see, and who came to Indiana when twenty 
years old, settling in Rush county. He was 
a carpenter and a minister, thus emulating 
the life of the lowly Xazarene. He removed 
to Shelby county. Illinois, in i860, and in 
1865 moved to Effingham county, this state. 



i [8 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY 01 



where lie resided until his death in March. 
[884. Tin.' Clark familj originated in Ten- 
nessee. The subject's mother, who died in 
[882, was Charlotte Furman. Her mother 
was a native of Scotland and her father of 
Pennsylvania, of German descent. Mr. and 
Mrs. \runa Clark were the parents of six 
children, two of win mi died in infancy. 
They are. Jonathan E., of Chattanooga, 
Tennessee; Sarah Arnold, of Tucumcari, 
New Mexico; Mrs. Jennie Wood, of Beech- 
er City. Illinois; Thomas J., the subject. 

Thomas J. Clark spent his early life in 
Effingham county, this state, receiving a 
limited education in the country schools 
there, and later attended the city schools of 
Effingham. After his school days he learned 
the blacksmith trade at which he worked 
for eight years, lie then clerked in a gen- 
eral store for two or three years, after which 
he went to railroading, which he followed 
up to February, [908, having given his em- 
ployers entire satisfaction in that line of 
work. In July. [908, Mr. Clark bought 
the Clay County Democrat, which he now 
conduct^ in a manner that shows him to he 
a moulder of public opinion, his paper being 
a power for good in Clay county. He has 

a g 1 plant, well equipped and his paper 

is well edited and the mechanical appearance 
of each issue shows that this part of the 
work is well looked after. Since assuming 
charge of the plant the circulation of The 
Democrat has increased as well as has the 
advertising. 

Mr. Clark was united in marriage to Mary 
Lilley, December jo, [876. She was born 



and reared in Fayette county, Illinois, and to 
this union four children have been born; 
William Edwin, who i.s married and is living 
at Clarkson, Washington: Mis. Gertrude 
Roseberry, oi I 'ana. Illinois; Mis. Caroline 
Myers, of Mast St. Louis; Don. a linotype 
1 iperal ir, living in [vast St. I .• mis. 

< >ur subject served one term as school di- 
rector at Beecher City, Illinois, and was 
City Clerk of Flora, for a part of one term, 
having been appointed to fill a vacancy. 

In his fraternal relations Mr. Clark be- 
longs t,, the Independent Order of Odd 
Fellows, the Knights of Pythias and the 
Modern Woodmen. In politics he is a loyal 
Democrat. He is thoroughly interested in 
the affairs of his party and does what he 
can in furthering the policies of the same. 



CHARLES H. WEST. 

The early pioneers of Marion county, 
Illinois, have about all "crossed the great 
divide." Year by year their numbers have 
continued to diminish, until of the hundreds 
who settled here in the twenties and thirties 
only a few of them remain. There are, how- 
ever, many men and women now living in 
the county, who. though coming here in 
what might be properly termed the second 
period after the pioneers, have borne well 
their part in making this a prosperous re- 
gion. They are no less worthy of praise in 
the part they bore in the labors and priva- 
tions of this early period than are their par- 




WEST lit >ME. 
Kinmundy, Illinois. 




C. H. WEST. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



119 



ents. Among these is the subject of this 
sketch, who has spent the major part of his 
mature years in the county where he has 
become widely known and where his labors 
have benefited alike himself and the commu- 
nity at large. 

Charles H. "West was born in Delaware 
county, Indiana, October 27, 1845, the son 
of George and Elizabeth (Brammer) West. 

The father of the subject left Pennsyl- 
vania when a young man, and settled in 
Delaware county, Indiana, and came to Illi- 
nois in 1865, in Jo Daviess county and in 
1869 came to Marion county where he re- 
mained the balance of his life, having 
reached the advanced age of eighty-three 
years, after a life of hard work in agri- 
cultural pursuits. The subject's mother, a 
woman of many fine qualities and a worthy 
companion of her noble husband, lived to 
be seventy-three years old, and was in her 
religious belief a member of the old school 
Baptists. There were seven children in this 
family, six living to maturity. Samuel, the 
oldest brother of the subject, was a soldier 
from Indiana in the Union lines and was 
killed at Marietta, Georgia, where he was 
buried. A brother of the father of our sub- 
ject had a son, John T. West, who was also 
a soldier in the Civil war, having been in 
a Pennsylvania regiment. 

Charles H. West, our subject, came with 
his father to Marion county in 1869. He 
attended the public schools in Delaware 
county, Indiana, where he worked on his 
father's farm during the summer season, 



having remained a member of the family 
circle until he was thirty-one years of age. 
He then leased his father's farm in this 
county for a number of years, and after his 
father returned to Illinois he purchased 
the same which he has managed with 
the greatest success for a period of twenty- 
five years, developing it into one of the lead- 
ing farms of the community and gathering 
from its fertile fields from year to year 
bounteous harvests. 

Mr. West owns at this writing, 1908, 
twelve and one-half acres in Kinmundy in 
one section of the city and also a ten-acre 
orchard in another section of the city, also 
forty acres one-half mile east of the town, 
containing a fine orchard, all well located 
and good land. He also has excellent prop- 
erty in the central part of the town, and 
fifty acres of horticultural land, which is 
very valuable owing to the large and choice 
varieties of trees on it. This property 
claims much of his attention since Mr. West 
delights in horticultural work, being well 
versed in its various phases. He owns a 
modern, large, nicely furnished and alto- 
gether one of the most desirable residences 
in Kinmundy or vicinity. All this he has 
made himself practically unaided as a result 
of his genuine business sagacity, persistency 
and honesty. 

Mr. West was united in marriage in 1877 
to Rose N. Dillon, a native of Marion 
county, whose father was from Kentucky: 
her mother's people being from Ohio. 
Three children have been born to this union, 



I 20 



BIOGRAPHICAL VND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



named in order of birth as follows: Harry 
T., who was born in 1878, is married and 
lias two children; Maud L. is the wife of 

A. < .. I 'mter and the mother of one child; 
the third child died in infancy. 

West 1^ a member of the Independent 
Order of Odd Fellows, the Knights of 
Pythias and their auxiliaries. In politics he 
in a Republican and is an Alderman in the 
I ouncil of Kinmundy, which position 
he fills \\ ith great credit. 

In township and county affairs Mr. West 
takes an active interest and when his judg- 
ment approves of any measure that is ad- 
vanced he is not hesitant in giving his ap- 
proval and active aid. In many ways he has 
given his time and service for the general 
good. I It- has a wide acquaintance and the 
favorable judgment the public passed upon 
him in the early days of his residence here 
has been in no degree set aside or modified 
as the years have gone by. 



\\ II.1UR AMINO (,( lOMF.NOL'OH. 

In the history if Clay county, as applying 
to the milling industry, the name of Wilbur 
A. Goodenough occupies a conspicuous 
place, for through a number of years he has 
ne of the representative lumber deal- 
ers in this locality, progressive, enterprising 
and persevering. Such qualities always win 
success, sooner or later, and to the subjeel 
they have brought a satisfactory reward for 
his well directed efforts, and while he has 



benefited himself and community in a mate- 
rial way. he lias also been an influential fac- 
tor in the educational, political and moral 
uplift of the community favored by his resi- 
dence. 

Wilbur Adino Goodenough was bom in 
Jefferson county, New York, May 26, 1857, 

the son of Morris M. <i lenough, who was 

a native of Northern New York. Adino 
Goodenough, the great-grandfather of the 
subject, was a native of Scotland, who came 
to America with Lord Howe. He passed 
the winter with Washington at Valley 
Forge as one of his captains, having enlist- 
ed three tunes in the Revolutionary war. 
Ihe third time he walked from Vermont t" 
Boston to enlist. He spent bis last days at 
Watertown. Jefferson e< unity. New York, 
dying there in his eighty-seventh year. Most 
'■I bis life while in America, was spent in 
Vermont. The subject's grandfather, John 
Banister Goodenough, a native of New 
York, died in [864, at the age of eighty-two 
years. He devoted his life to farming. 
The subject's father was also a farmer, and, 
like his ancestors, was a man of influence 
in his community. He died at the age of 
seventy-two years in Jefferson county, New 
York, in 1899. 

The mother of the subject was (.'aniline 
Griswold, also a native of northern New 
York, where she lived all her life and where 
she ended her earthly labors in 1895, at the 
age of sixty-two years. Twelve children 
were born to the subject's parents, eight of 
whom are living, in [908, namely: Charles, 
Estella, Wilbur. Albert. Caroline. Ward, 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



121 



Eaton, Morris, Emma, Relic, Mollie and 
Grace. 

Mr. Goodenough spent his boyhood days 
in Watertown, New York, where he attend- 
ed school and received a good education. 
He went from there to Copenhagen. New 
York, where he learned the trade of miller. 
after which he went to Ogdensburg, that 
state, where lie worked for fifteen years 
with much success attending his efforts. In 
[894 lie came to Louisville and bought the 
Louisville Roller Mills, which burned clown 
October 25, 1897. The plant was rebuilt 
the fall of 1898. His brother, Albert, has 
been associated with him in all his business. 
They have an extensive trade and carry on 
a growing industry, their customers coming 
from all parts of this locality, both in the 
flour and lumber business. 

Mr. Goodenough was united in marriage 
February 22, 1883, to LueUa Stanford, of 
Lowville, Lewis county. New York, the rep- 
resentative of a well known family there, 
and to this union two children have been 
born; Luella, born April 15. 1894. and 
Stanford, born December 17, 1898. 

Our subject is a director in the banners' 
and Merchants' Bank of Louisville. In 
his fraternal relations he is a member of the 
Masons, the Chapter and Knights Templar. 
In politics he is a Republican and both he 
and Mrs. Goodenough are members of the 
Presbyterian church. 

Mr. Goodenough is one of the substantial 
citizens of Clay county. He has persevered 
in the pursuit of a persistent purpose and 
gained a most satisfactory reward. His life 



is exemplary in many respects, and he has 
ever supported those interests which have 
for their object the welfare of the commu- 
nity and the benefit of humanity. 



WILFRED W. MERZ. 

The career of the subject of this review 
has been varied and interesting, and the his- 
tory of Marion county will be more interest- 
ing if a record of his activities and achieve- 
ments are given prominence, and a tribute 
to his worth and high character as a business 
man, a public-spirited and enterprising, 
broad-minded citizen, for although he is yet 
a young man he has shown by his persist- 
ency and eminently worthy career what can 
be accomplished by the young man who has 
thrift, energy, tact, force of character and 
honesty of purpose, and representing as he 
does one of the best and most highly es- 
teemed families of the country, whose an- 
cestors did so much in the pioneer days to 
prepare the country for the enjoyment and 
success of succeeding generations, Mr. Merz 
is peculiarly entitled to proper mention in 
this work along with other leading and hon- 
orable citizens of Marion county. 

Wilfred W. Merz, the popular and effi- 
cient agent of the Chicago & Eastern Illinois 
Railroad Company, also of the Wells, Fargo 
& Company Express, at Salem, Marion 
county, was born at this place February 13. 
1872, being the eldest child of Nicholas 
Merz, who is a member of the Council of Al- 



I _•_• 



:: I. h . K \ 1- 1 1 li \l. \\l> REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



dermen of the city of Salem, and an influen- 
tial and highly respected citizen who has 
lived in Salem practically all his life. Nicho- 
las Merz's parents were born in Germany 
.and migrated to America in early life, and 
soon established comfortable homes in the 
new world and lived t" a ripe old age. 

The mother of our subject was known in 

her maidenh 1 as Elizabeth A. Smith. She 

was horn at Decatur, Illinois, and died at 
I lue\ . Illinois. 

h S. Ritchie, the maternal grand- 
mother of our subject, is a native of Giles 
comity, Virginia, horn .March 22, 1828, and 
at presenl resides near Shattuc, Illinois, in 
her eightieth year. Her fir>t husband was 
John II. Smith, who was born September 
1. [831, at Chillicothe, Ohio, and died at 
.Metropolis, Illinois, October 2, 1888. He 
was the father of nine children (the mother 
of our subject being the eldest), only one of 
whom is living, John Lewis Smith, of Car- 
lyle, Illinois. 

Nicholas Merz by his first wife is the 
father of five children, of whom four are liv- 
ing in [908, and whose births occurred in 
the following order: Wilfred W., our sub- 
ject : Nellie, the wife of Richard Ellington, 
of St. Louis; John I.. , living in Chicago; 
Nona died in Chicago, July 8, 1905; Orval 
Nicholas living in Salem. Illinois. To Nicho- 
las Merz and his second wife one child was 
horn. Mabel, who is living with her parents 
in Salem. 

These children received a fairly good 
education and are comfortably located, each 
giving promise of successful careers. 



Wilfred W. Merz was reared in Salem, 
basing attended the city schools where he 
applied himself in a most assiduous manner, 
outstripping many less ambitious plodders 
until he graduated from the high school as 
sanitarian with the class of 1900, having 
made an excellent record for scholarship. 

After leaving school Mr. Merz farmed on 
his father's place for two years, making 
agriculture a success. He then left the farm 
and accepted a clerkship with the mercantile 
firm of Cutler X 1 lays in Salem in whose 
employ he remained for one and one-half 
years, giving entire satisfaction as a sales- 
man and by reason of his adaptability for 
this line of work and his courteous treat- 
ment of customers did much to increase the 
firm's popularity and trade. 

In 1893 Mr. Merz entered the railroad 
business with the Baltimore & Ohio, and was 
assistant agent at Salem during 1893 and 
1894. On January 16, 1895, he was ap- 
pointed agent for the Chicago, Paducah & 
Memphis Railroad Company at Kell, Illi- 
nois. This road later passed into the control 
of the Chicago & Eastern Illinois in 1907, 
and after about eight months of acceptable 
service at Kell, Mr. Merz was promoted to 
the position of agent at Salem for the Chi- 
cago & Eastern Illinois road, and he has 
since been their faithful employe at this im- 
portant post, with the exception of five 
months as agent at Tuscola. Illinois, from 
January to June, 1904, and as assistant cash- 
ier of the Salem State Bank from October, 
1004, to October, 1905, which position he 
held with honor and resigned the same to 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



123 



re-enter the railroad service. He is regarded 
by the company as one of the most conscien- 
tious and reliable agents in their service. 
Since the division was established at Salem 
in 1905, this office has become one of the 
most important along the company's line. 

Mr. Merz was happily married August 
24, 1897, to Nettie Kell, daughter of J. M. 
Kell and wife, a well known family of old 
Foxville. Mrs. Merz is a representative of 
one of the oldest families of Marion county, 
and one of a family of nine children, seven 
of whom are yet living, Maudie and Robert 
dying in infancy. Her father and mother 
are still living at the time of this 
writing, the mother being one of ten 
sisters all of whom, are living in 1908, 
a most remarkable record. Her father, 
John M. Kell, was a soldier in the Union 
ranks during the war between the states 
and was one of a family of twelve children, 
one of his brothers being killed in the last 
skirmish of the Civil war after a service of 
three years. Mrs. Merz's grandfather, on 
her maternal side, was Robert Wham, a 
well-to-do pioneer of Marion county who 
rendered distinguished services as a soldier 
in the Mexican war. He had a brother, 
French L., who died in Andersonville 
prison. Mr. Wham passed away January 
10, 1905, at a very old age. 

Mr. and Mrs. Merz are the parents of 
three bright and interesting children who 
have added cheer to the cozy, modern and 
nicely furnished home which is so graciously 
presided over with rare dignity and grace 
by the subject's wife, the names of their chil- 



dren being as follows : Robert W., born 
July 6, 1898; Helen Louise, born February 
6, 1900; Gladys Roberta, born June 6, 1902. 
The fact that the birth of these children all 
occurred on the sixth of the month is a 
singular coincidence. 

Mr. and Mrs. Merz own their own beauti- 
ful home on East Main street. Both are 
members of the Cumberland Presbyterian 
church, and are known as among the best 
members of the congregation with which 
they have always been popular. The subject 
has spent his entire life in Salem where he 
is well and favorably known, having gained 
and retained undivided respect of all as a 
result of his sober, industrious and honor- 
able career. He is always to be found on the 
right side of all questions looking to the 
betterment of his community and may well 
be said to represent Marion county's best 
citizenship in every particular. 



SNIVELY & MONTGOMERY, 
LIVERYMEN. 

Though no land is richer in opportunities 
or offers greater advantages to its citizens 
than America, success is not to be attained 
through desire, but must be persistently 
sought. In this country "labor is king," 
and the man who resolutely sets to work to 
accomplish a given purpose is certain of 
success if he has but the qualities of perse- 
verance, untiring energy and practical com- 
mon sense. William A. Montgomery, the 



1-4 



BI0GRAPHICA1 VND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



well known liveryman of Olney, Illinois, 
through his diligence and persistenl efforts, 
has attained definite success and has won 
the respect of all who know him through 
his fair dealing with the public. 

William A. Montgomery was born in 01- 
ney, Richland county, < )cl ber 22, [860, the 
son of Thomas and Sarah 1 Brillhart ) Mi mt- 
gomery, natives of Virginia and Pennsyl- 
vania, respectively, who came to Richland 
county in an early day. Thomas came with 
his parents when a small boy. The fam- 
ily entered land in Edwards county, where 
Thomas was reared, assisting with the work 
of improving a farm in the wilderness. 
When only sixteen years old. he began car- 
rying the mail from Fairfield t" Mt. Car- 
mel, ami he had charge of the mute from 
Olney to Grayville, fur years. He also 'it- 
erated a stage. He later became a pros- 
perous farmer in Richland county. 

The Brillharts were pioneers in Richland 
county and became influential in their com- 
munity. The parents of the subject of this 
sketch died in Richland county, the father 
at the age of seventy-eight and the mother 
when sixty-eight years old. They were 
1 ile 1 if many sterling and praiseworthy 
traits, and were hard workers all their lives. 

William A. Montgomery was reared mi a 
farm in Edwards county, and received his 

education in the country schools of Edwards 
and Richland counties. lie remained at 
home during the lifetime of his parents. 
working on the farm until the spring of 
13, when he came to Olney and engaged 
in the livery business, winch he is still con- 



ducting with greal success, giving the pub- 
lic entire satisfaction and handling an ex- 
cellent grade if horses and vehicles. The 
linn is known as Snivel) X Montgomery. 
They began business in their present loca- 
tion m [906, building a modern and 
venienl brick barn which was completed in 
June of that year. The building is sixty - 
eighl by me hundred and ten feet and is 
one of the most complete and best equipped 
111 Olnej "i" any of the surrounding towns. 
They keep an average of twenty head of 
driving stock, also a considerable number 
of boarding stock. 

In politics Mr. Montgomery is a Demo- 
crat and a member of the Modern Woodmen 
of America and the Benevolent and Protec 
tive Order of Elks, No. 926, of Olney. 

Edmund C. Snively, partner of Mr. Mont- 
gomery, was born in Madison township. 
Richland county, and what has been said 
of the former regarding untiring persistence 
and application to business i^ equallj ap- 
plicable to him. and they make a strong 
combination in their special line. The date 
of Mr. Snively's birth was December 26, 
[872. Ile is the son of Amos R. and Sa- 
rah I'".. ( Parker) Snively. residents of Mad- 
ison township. Mr. Snively was reared on 
a farm and was educated in the country 
sch ioIs anil at the Southern Normal at Car- 

bondale for one year, lie received a g 1 

education for he applied himself well to his 
books and successfully taught school for otic 
term, lie worked "ii a farm, in a saw-mill 
and operated a threshing machine for sev- 
eral seasons. In 1004 he came to Olney, 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



125 



and became a member of Snively & Mont- 
gomery, and has continued in the same ever 
since. 

Mr. Snively was united in marriage on 
June 12, 1907, to Laura D. Yelch, a native 
of Olney township, the daughter of Daniel 
and Margaret (Swallen) Yelch, the former 
now deceased and the latter is a resident of 
Olney. In politics Mr. Snively is a Demo- 
crat, and in his fraternal relations he be- 
longs to the Modern Woodmen of America 
and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows 
of Olney. 

Fair dealing has been the watchword of 
this firm and as a result they have built up 
an extensive patronage, which is still grow- 
ing. Both Messrs. Snively and Montgom- 
ery are regarded as among the substantial 
citizens of Olney, and are well spoken of 
by all who know them. 



GEORGE B. SIMCOX. 

The subject stands as the exponent of one 
of the extensive noteworthy enterprises 
of the city, where he maintains a real 
estate business, which is pre-eminent in the 
honorable bearing and careful methods em- 
ployed, and in the discriminating delicacy of 
treatment which the nature of the business 
renders expedient, and he has thus retained 
as his own the respect and confidence of the 
community, even as has his noble father, the 
latter having likewise assumed a position of 
priority in the business and social life of 



Marion county, where he still resides at an 
advanced age. 

George B. Simcox was born in Kentucky 
in 1864, the son of W. K. Simcox, now 
living at Patoka, Illinois, a native of Penn- 
sylvania, who migrated from the old Key- 
stone state to Illinois in 1866, locating at 
Patoka, where he has since resided. He was 
in the mercantile business of which he made 
a success, but he is now living retired, hav- 
ing reached the advanced age of eighty- 
three, and his good wife that of 
seventy-eight. They are held in high esteem 
in their neighborhood where their latter 
years have been so honorably and happily 
spent. Twelve children were born to them, 
seven of whom are still living. They are : 
Anna M., the widow of Dr. T. N. Livesay, 
and she makes her home near Patoka ; Rob- 
ert A., of Patoka; John L., also of Patoka: 
Bettie, the wife of Dr. W. W. Murfin, of 
Patoka; Mary A., the wife of A. T. Eaglin, 
of Henton, Oklahoma ; Joseph \Y ., of Pa- 
toka ; George B., whose name appears at the 
head of this review. 

Mr. Simcox spent his boyhood in Patoka, 
Illinois, where he received a common school 
education, having applied himself closely to 
his books. When about eighteen years old 
he went to railroading and was subsequently 
in the employ of various roads. Longing 
for more varied experiences than could be 
gained at home, he went to the Southwest 
and his rise in the railroad business was 
rapid there owing to his natural ability, 
carefulness and personal address, conse- 
quently he soon became conductor on the 



I 26 



1: RAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



Mexican National Railroad in Old Mexii 
holding this responsible position to the satis- 
faction of the superior officials when only 
twenty-* me years 1 ild. 

After following the railroad business foi 
ten years he returned to Salem, Illinois, in 
[895, and has been in Marion county ever 
since. He first launched in the mercantile 
business in Patoka, where he was doing 
nicely and building up an excellent trade. 
when he lust heavily by fire after two years 
in tliis line. Then he went into the real 
i-state and newspaper business at Patoka, in 
which he made a success and became known 

the moulder of public thought and opin- 
ion. Being tints able and popular with his 
fellow voters, he was soon slated for local 
political offices, and held every township 
office in that township. He was appointed 
Deputy Sheriff in [902 and served with 
great credit for a period of four years. In- 
deed, all his duties in an official capacity 
were attended to with the greatest alacrity 
and good judgment. He was nominated by 
the Democrats in io,o(> as a candidate for 
sheriff, but was defeated. 

In [906 .Mr. Simcox went into the hard- 
ware business in Salem, in which he re- 
mained for eight months, when he sold out 
to ( '. \Y. Vensell, and since then he has 
been interested in the real estate business, 

making a specialty of city lots and booming 
special sales, and his efforts have been 
crowned with gratifying success, for he has 
the confiden the public and conducts 

his business along safe and conservative 
lines. 



Mr. Simcox was united in marriage May 
24, [896, to Florence Wasem, of Patoka, 
the cultured and refined daughter of Jacob 
!•'.. Wasem, a well known citizen of Patoka. 
Two bright and interesting children have 
been horn to this union, namely: Maude 
Ellen, whose date of birth occurred August 
[3, [897, and Minnie May. who was born 
November 2 j., 11)03. 

Our subject in his fraternal relations be- 
longs to the Benevolent and Protective 
Order of Elks at Centralia Lodge No. 1.93; 
aKo the Marion Lodge No. 525, Knights of 
Pythias: also the Modern Woodmen of 
America No. 71 i 1 . of Patoka. He also be- 
longs to the < tnler of Railway Telegraphers. 

Our subject has always taken a great in- 
terest in political matters and public affairs, 
and he was chairman of the Democratic 
Central Committee during two campaigns, 
and he is now a member of the Comity Ex- 
ecutive Democratic Committee of Marion 
county. In public office he has been found 
most loyal to the public <;ood. and in his 
business affairs he is ever straight-forward 
and trustworthy. 



Rl (BERT MARTIN. 



It is signally consonant that in this work 
be incorporated at least a brief resume of 
the life and labors of Mr. Martin. wT 
long been one of the influential citizens of 
Marion county, and through whose loyal 
efforts the cit) of Salem and surrounding 



RICHLAND. CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



'-'7 



locality have reaped lasting benefits, for his 
exceptional administrative capacity has been 
directed along lines calculated to be for the 
general good. A man of forceful individu- 
ality and marked initiative power, he has 
been well equipped for leadership, while his 
probity of character and bis genial personal- 
ity have gained for him uniform esteem and 
friendship in the city where he has so long 
made his home, and of which he is regarded 
by all classes as one of its most distinguished 
citizens in connection with the business 
world. 

Robert Martin was born in Estilville, now 
known as Gate City, Scott county, Virginia, 
April n, 1839, the son of John S. Martin, 
also a native of Virginia, and a man of rec- 
ognized ability, being the representative of 
a fine old Southern family, noted for its 
high ideals and unqualified hospitality,. his 
ancestry being Scotch-Irish. John S. Mar- 
tin was County Clerk for a period of twenty 
years or more, and he held many other 
county offices, including a judgeship, and he 
won universal praise for the able manner in 
which he discharged his every duty to the 
public. He was called from his earthly 
labors in 1865 while living at Alma, this 
county. The mother of the subject was a 
Stewart before her marriage, a woman of 
rare mental equipoise and culture; she 
passed to her rest soon after the family 
came to Illinois in 1846. 

Our subject spent his early boyhood on 
his parental farm at Alma, having been only 
five years old when the family came here. 
He attended school at Alma and Salem. He 



also attended the Southern Illinois Female 
College at Salem, which institution ceased 
to exist soon after the war. He gained a 
liberal education which has stood him in 
such good hand during his long and emi- 
nently active and successful business career. 
Our subject was one of those loyal sons 
of the North, who, when the tocsin of war 
sounded calling loyal sons to defend the 
old flag, offered his services, enlisting in 
Company A, One Hundred and Eleventh 
Illinois Volunteer Infantry, one of the fa- 
mous regiments of the state, which was or- 
ganized at Salem. Mr. Martin was then 
twenty-one years old. The company left 
Salem and went to Columbus, Kentucky, 
and from there to Paducah, that state, later 
to Pulaski, Tennessee, and from there 
inarched to Chattanooga, where it united 
with Sherman's army and remained with the 
same through its historic march to the sea, 
and also its strenuous campaigns, having 
participated in the battles at Atlanta and 
many other notable engagements. After re- 
maining with him until the close of the war, 
he took part in the grand review at Wash- 
ington City, after a very commendable ser- 
vice of three years. He was mustered out 
at Springfield, Illinois, where he came soon 
after the review in Washington. 

After his career in the army, Mr. Martin 
launched in the grocery business at Salem, 
in which he remained for one year, when he 
sold out and went into the more lucrative 
grain and lumber business, in which he has 
been engaged for a period of fnrty-one years 
during which time an enormous volume of 



[OGKAIMIICAL VNI) REMINISCKN1 HISTORY OF 



business has passed through his hands, and 
he has become widel) known as one of the 
leading men in these lines in Southern Illi- 
nois, being recognized b) the leading dealers 
throughout this and adjoining states as well 
.is rerm ite parts of the country as a man of 
the highest business integrity and acumen. 
He is still conducting a large lumber yard, 
and carries on a very extensive and thriving 
business, numbering Ins customers by the 
thousands, not only from Salem and vicin- 
ity, but throughout the county and to remote 
parts of the country. He owns a beautiful, 
modern and well furnished residence in one 
of the most desirable portions oi Salem. 

Our subjeel was happily married in [867 
to Mice Scott, a native of Vincennes, In- 
diana, a woman 1 <i affable personality and 
rare refinement, the daughter of a highly 
respected and influential family. Three 
children have been born to tins union, one 
1 ,1 whom has pa ssed awaj , The) are : 
Mabel Dora, the wife of W. II. Farsons, of 
Salem; C. C. Martin, of Salem, and John 
I .ewis Martin, formerl) of Salmi, now <U- 
ceased. 

I hese children received ever) possible at 
tention from their parents, being given s^ood 
educations and careful home training. 

Mr. Martin assisted in the organization 
and became one of the firsl directors and 
stockholders in the Salem State Bank. He 
is also a director of the Salem Building and 

in Association, and his sound judgment 

1 able advice is always carefully weighed 

1,\ the other members of these organizations 

in their deliberations, for Mr. Martin has a 

nation among local bu "en for 



remarkable foresighl into all business propo- 
sitions, Having always been interested in 
educational affairs, he served as a membei 
and also as president of the School Board 
of Salem for several years, bul he is not at 
present connected with the board, but during 
the time that he was the schools of Salem 
were greatly strengthened. 

In Ins fraternal relations Mr. Martin is a 
member of the Knights of Pythias and the 
Woodmen. He has been a faithful and 
consistent member of the Methodist church 
since he was thirteen yeai s 1 fid. 



CHARLES I. KELL. 

This enterprising firmer and representa 
tive citizen is a native of Marion county, Illi- 
nois, and belongs to one of the old and hig 
i\ , steemed pioneei families of I lames town 

ship, where his parents, Thomas and Mat J 
1 Luke) Kell, settled in an early da\ and bore 

an active and influential part in the devel 
opment and growth of the community 1 51 • 
sketch of W illiam Kell ). (diaries T. was 
born a short distance west of the village of 
Kell, September 18, [854, from which date 
to the present time his life has been very 
, losel) identified with I lames township, and 
.1- stated above, he now holds worth) pn 
imong the leading agriculturists and 

public spirited men of the section of country 

honored b) his citizenship. 

Roared in cf.se touch with nature in the 

healthful outdoor life of the farm, he earh 
acquired a \ 1-',' irous ph) ique and an inde 
pendenceof mind characteristic of the sturdy 




MR AND MRS. C. T. KELL. 



RICHLAND, (LAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



129 



son of the soil, and while still quite young 
he became familiar with the varied duties of 
agriculture and learned to appreciate the 
honor and dignity which belong to those who 
earn their bread by the sweat of the brow. 
At the proper age he entered the schools of 
the neighborhood, which he attended at in- 
tervals until acquiring a practical knowledge 
of the subjects taught, the meanwhile assist- 
ing his father on the family homestead and 
contributing his full share to its cultivation. 

After remaining with, his parents until at- 
taining his majority, Charles T. entered into 
partnership with his brother, John M. Kell. 
by purchasing a half interest in a saw and 
grist mill at Foxville, and during the ensu- 
ing ten years devoted his attention to the 
manufacture of flour and lumber, meeting 
with encouraging success in the enterprise 
and becoming widely known as a wide- 
awake and thoroughly honorable and reli- 
able business man. Disposing of his interest 
in the mill at the expiration of the period in- 
dicated, he located on his present home farm 
in Haines township, adjoining the town of 
Kell on the south, having previously become 
the possessor of another tract consisting of 
one hundred and twenty acres in another 
part of the same township, both of which 
places he has brought to a high state of cul- 
tivation and otherwise improved. At the 
time the railroad was constructed he sold 
twenty acres, which is now a part of the 
village of Kell. 

As a farmer. Mr. Kell easily ranks with 
the most enterprising and successful men of 
his calling in Marion county, being progres- 
9 



sive in his methods and using the latest mod- 
ern implements and machinery and by judi- 
cious rotation of crops he seldom fails to 
realize abundant returns from the time and 
labor devoted to his fields. He also pays 
considerable attention to the raising of live 
stock, which he finds quite profitable, and his 
domestic animals, including horses, mules, 
cattle, sheep and hogs, are among the finest 
breeds obtainable, and from their sale no 
small share of his liberal income is derived. 

Mr. Kell has not been sparing of his 
means in the matter of improvement, and the 
beautifying and rendering attractive his 
home, the large two-story house with its 
many modern conveniences, being among 
the most desirable country residences in the 
township, while his commodious barn, out- 
buildings, wells, fences and other evidences 
of prosperity compare favorably with the 
best in his part of the country. He keeps 
in close touch with the advancement in agri- 
cultural science, and fully abreast of the 
times in reducing the same to practical tests, 
being progressive in all the term implies, 
and believes in the latest and most approved 
methods of modern farming. 

In his political faith Mr. Kell is a Repub- 
lican, and while interested in the success of 
his party, he has never been a politician, 
much less an office seeker or aspirant for 
leadership. In religion he subscribes to the 
Missionary Baptist creed, and for a number 
of years his name has adorned the records 
of that church, having held the office of dea- 
con five years in the local congregation, to 
which himself and entire familv belong, be- 



130 



BIOGRAPHK \l. \\i> REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



Miles being otherwise interested in religious 
and benevolent work. He is superintendent 
of the Sunday school which he attends, has 
long been an influential leader in this depart- 
ment of religious endeavor, and with his 
w ife has been instrumental in arousing an in- 
terest among the young people of the neigh- 
borhood and leading nol a few of them to 
the higher life. 

Mr. Kell was married in the year t88i to 
Rebecca C. Purdue, of Haines township, 
daughter of Richard and Caroline (Har- 
mon) Purdue, early settlers of Marion coun- 
ty and among the highly respected people of 
their locality i see history of the Purdue 
family). .Mr. and Mrs. Kell have four chil- 
dren, the eldest of whom, a daughter by the 
name of l\a May. is the wife of R. A. Jef- 
fries, of Haines township, and the mother of 
one child, Trevor Jeffries. The other chil- 
dren, two daughters and one son, are still 
under the parental roof, their names in order 
of birth being as follows: Myrtle, Ellis and 
Ethel. Mr. Kell has taken great interest in 
the rearing and educating of his children 
and the}- in turn have responded to his every 
(Mm! m their behalf. The children all re- 
ceived liberal educational advantages in the 
public schools and also at Ruing Baptist 
College at Ewing, Til. Ethel graduated at 
the agi teen from thai institution in 

instrumental music. The family is one of 
the best known and mosl highly esteemed in 
the county and the name which is an old and 
honorable one lias long been synonymous 

for noble manh 1 and womanhood and a 

high ' Tiler i if citizenship. 



IlK.XkY HORD. 

\-ide from In- connections with the civic 
affairs of Clay county, the subject of this 

sketch has long been an influential factor in 
the general business and industrial interests 
of the county during his entire life, which 
has been spent here, everything calculated 
to advance the community, materially or 
otherwise, receiving bis support and heart) 
co-operation. He is unwavering in his al- 
legiance tn what he believes is right, and 
upholds bis honest convictions at the sacri- 
fice, if necessary, of every other interest. 
Conscientious in the discharge of bis duties 
of citizenship, he is a valued member of the 
body politic, and bis aim has ever been to 
shape bis life according to the highest stand- 
ard of excellence, therefore he has won the 
esteem and confidence of all who know him. 

Ilemy Hord, the popular Sheriff of Clay 
count)", is a native of the same, having been 
bun in Blair township. December 8. [863, 
the son of rhomas B. Hord, who was a na- 
tive of Indiana, and who came to Illinois 
when a boy, being one of the early settlers 
of Clay count)', locating in Blair township, 
where be now lives and is a prosperous 
farmer, well known in bis township. '"Judge" 
George Hord, grandfather if the subject, 
was also a native of Indiana and a man of 
considerable influence in his community. 

The subject's mother was known in her 
maidenhood as Alice \W\\, whose people 
came i'p m Tennessee. She passed to her 
vest when our subject was two years Id. 
Two children were born to the parents of 



RICHLAND. CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



131 



our subject, the other child dying in in- 
fancy. They gave their son all the advan- 
tages possible, wholesome home environ- 
ment and a fairly good education, and he 
owes much of his subsequent success to his 
solicitous parents. He was reared on a farm 
where he laid the foundations for a hardy 
manhood, for he devoted the summer 
months to work in the fields and attended 
school in the winter in his native township, 
which was the only schooling he had; but 
he made good use of his time. After leav- 
ing school he continued farm work on the 
home place until he married when he went 
to farming for himself in Blair township. 

Air. Hord was united in the bonds of 
wedlock with Percilla Eytchison, the daugh- 
ter of J. W. and Charity A. Eytchison, a 
well known family of Blair township, the 
date of the wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Hord 
being October 18, 1884, and to this union 
nine children have been born, named in or- 
der of birth as follows: Jesse, deceased, 
having died when about thirteen years old; 
Lillie, William, Mimmie, Roy, Elbridge, Rcl- 
la, Everett, the youngest child died in in- 
fancy. 

In 1906 Mr. Hord was elected Sheriff of 
Clay county, on the Republican ticket, and 
he is now serving his term of four years in 
a manner that elicits praise from everyone 
having occasion to know of his work, for he 
is discharging his duties in a most con- 
scientious and able manner, and generally 
regarded as the best Sheriff the county has 
ever had. Previously Mr. Hord had faith- 
fully served Blair township as Supervisor 



and Assessor. He owns a good farm in 
Blair township, which he rents. In his fra- 
ternal relations he is a Mason. 

.Mrs. llonl died of typhoid fever Sep- 
tember 18, 1906. between the time Mr. Hord 
was nominated and elected Sheriff. Our 
subject was married a second time, his last 
wife being Miss Dora Manifold, a daughter 
of Reverend .Manifold, now deceased. .Mrs. 
Hord formerly resided in St. Louis, and 
she taught school in Clay county for five 
years. 

In his career Mr. Hord has seen the gath- 
ering clouds that threatened disaster, but 
his rich inheritance of energy and pluck has 
enabled him to turn defeats into victory and 
promised failures into success. He enjoys 
in the fullest measure the public confidence, 
because of the honorable methods he has 
ever followed, and is one of the prominent 
and honored men of Clay count}-. 



WILLIAM C. INGRAM. 

Standing in an eminent position among 
the industrial representatives of Marion 
county is the subject of this sketch, who 
is recognized as one of Kinmundy's lead- 
ing citizens, having for many years been 
interested in the local flouring mill the repu- 
tation of which has spread all over this lo- 
cality as a result of his able management. 
In this regard he is controlling an exten- 
sive and important industry, for the product 
of his mill is large and the annual shipment 



'.?-• 



BIOGRAPHII \l- \M> REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



<if floui made to the city markets bring in 
return a very desirable income to the stock- 
holders of the company. His success has 
been won entirely along old and time-tried 
maxims, such as "honesty is the best policy" 
and "there is no excellence without labor." 

William C. Ingram was born in Indiana 
in [848, tin.' son of Samuel and Minerva A. 
1 Powers 1 Ingram. Grandfather [ngram is 
supposed tn have been bom in Kentucky and 
moved to Warrick county, Indiana where 
he engaged in farming and where he spent 
the balance of his days in honest and use- 
ful toil; there raising his family and passing 
from his labors into the .ureal beyond, after 
reaching a verj advanced age. His faithful 
life companion also lived to an advanced 
age. I hey reared a large family, all but one 
of whom lived to be men and women and 
reared families of their own. A number of 
their sons were gallant infantrymen in the 
Union ranks during the war between the 

tes. The Ingram lineage is from En 
land, and were early settlers in Kentucky. 
having come there in the brave days of 
Daniel I'.oone when the principal tasks of 
the pioneers were the clearing of the pri- 
meval forests and the banishment of the 
wary red men. 

Samuel I n the father of the subject, 

was Indiana, ami was almosl 

wholly without educational advantages. Hi 
date of birth i- recorded as [824, COn 

quently his boyh 1 was during a time when 

schools had scarcely been established in the 
I [01 isiei I le de\ oted his life to agri- 

cultural pursuits of which he made a suc- 



cess being a hard worker. He left Indiana 
in [854 and moved to Edwards county, 
Illinois, but came on to Marion county, land- 
in- here \pnl 6, 1857, and bought a farm 
mi which he remained and greatly improved, 
living there in comfort until i860, when he 
moved to Kinmuudy, still working his farm; 
continuing this for ten years when he sold 
out and retired from active work. He is 
still hale and active at this writing (1908), 
having attained the ripe age of eighty-four. 
As a result of his well spent life his old 
age is happy, for it is free from want and 
worry and pervaded with no unpleasant 
memories or regrets and compunctions over 
a misspent past, for his life has been one 
of honor and industry, most worthily lived. 
There were eight children in his family, six 
of whom are now living and have families 
of their own. The mother of the subject, 
a woman of beautiful Christian character, 
passed to her resl at the age of seventy- 
eight years. This tine old couple were al- 
ways devout Methodists. 

The great-grandfather Powers of the 
subject spenl most of Ins life in Indiana. 
living to ,ui old aye. lie was a Democral 
and :i Baptist. Grandmother Powers died 
in middle age. One of Mrs Ingram's 
brothers, John Powers, was .1 soldier in the 
( 'nil war. 

William C. Ingram, our subject, was 
brought to Illinois by his parents when sj\ 
wars old and to Marion county three years 
1. having been placed at once in the pub- 
lic schools here where he received his edu- 
on, and in other similar schools of 



U .AN']). CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES. ILLINOIS. 



133 



this state. He worked on his father's farm 
and for others as a farm hand until he was 
twenty-one years old, when he rented a farm 
and worked it on his own account for two 
years, making a good start in this way. He 
then purchased a farm of one hundred and 
fifty acres in this county on which he re- 
mained for a few years when he went to 
carpentry and farming, later purchasing 
a saw mill which he successfully operated for 
twenty-five years, which he recently sold. 
He has also owned two other saw mills, and 
has been known as one of the leading mill 
men of this locality for many years Some 
time ago he came to Kinmundy and pur- 
chased an interest in the Songer flouring mill 
which has been in operation for forty years, 
the subject now owning forty shares in this 
mill and is a director in the same, which has 
a wide reputation for the excellency of its 
products, customers not only coming in per- 
son from all parts of the county, but many 
orders are constantly pouring in from ad- 
joining counties and distant cities. The sub- 
ject's son is also a part owner in the mill. 
He also owns and controls thirty shares 
of the capital stock. 

Our subject has also been a merchant, 
and owing to his honesty in business, his 
natural ability and his discriminating fore- 
sight, he has always made a success at what- 
ever he undertook, so that today he is re- 
garded as one of the financially substantial 
men of the county, every dollar in his pos- 
session having been honestly earned by hard 
work. 

Mr. Ingram was united in marriage in 



[869 to Mary R. Gray, a native of this 
county, daughter of James H, and Susanna 
Jane ( Hannah) Gray. They were from 
Tennessee and lived on a farm. Her father 
was president of the Farmers & Merchants 
Bank of Kinmundy at the time of his death, 
which occurred at the age of seventy-seven 
years. In their family were ten children, 
seven of whom lived to maturity, but were 
short-lived people. 

Six children were born to the subject and 
wife as follows: Jane who was born in 
1 87 1, died when two and one-half years old; 
Charles H., who was born in 1874, is now 
living in Oklahoma and is the father of six 
children: Nellie A., who was born in 1876, 
is the wife of M. E. Huston, who lives at 
Maroa, Illinois, and is the mother of one 
child; Isaac D. was born in 1879 and is now 
associated with his father in the mill, is mar- 
ried and has three children ; Robert L., who 
was born in 1880, is living in the state of 
Washington, is married and has one child ; 
William G., born in 1882, died at the age of 
twenty-one years. 

The subject's first wife passed away in 
1883. She was a member of the Methodist 
Episcopal church, South. Mr. Ingram was 
married a second time, the date of his last 
wedding occurring in 1888. Nancy I. Gray 
(nee Booth), who was then the mother of 
two children, was his second choice. W. H. 
Gray, a sketch of whose life appears in this 
work, is her son. Her other child is dead. 
There has been no issue by the subject's last 
union. Mr. Ingram is a member of the Ma- 
sonic Fraternity and he attends the Metho- 



134 



BIOGRAPHII \i \XI> REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



dist church, of which his wife is a faithful 
member. In politics he supports the Re- 
publican ticket and he takes a keen interest 
in public affairs, though he has no ambition 
for the honors or emoluments of public of- 
fice, preferring to give his attention to his 
own business affairs. 



JOHN F. JOLLY. 

The most elaborate history is necessarily 
an abridgement, the historian being com- 
pelled to select his facts and material from 
a multitude of details. In every life of 
honor and usefulness there is no dearth of 
incident, and yet in summing up the career 
of any man the writer needs touch only 
those salient points which give the keynote 
of the character, but eliminating much that 
is superfluous. Thus in giving the life rec- 
ord of the gentleman whose name initiates 
this sketch sufficient will be said to show- 
that he is one of the enterprising and pro- 
gressive citizens of Richland county, being 
a well known horticulturist and hardware 
merchant. 

John F. Jolly was bom at Grayville, 
White county, Illinois. December 2, 1850, 
the son of John B. and Elizabeth ( Ferri- 
man) Jolly, the former a native of Edwards 
county, f English parents, and the latter 
of Jamaica, who came with her parents to 
Edwards county when a child, settling in 
Albion. Stephen Jolly, grandfather of our 
subject, emigrated to America from Eng- 



land, locating at Albion, Edwards county, 
this state, where he died soon after the birth 

of J. B. Jolly, who is now- eighty-four years 
old and the oldest resident at Grayville, hav- 
ing removed to the latter place about 1847, 
where he engaged in merchandising for 
many years. He accumulated a comfortable 
competency and is now retired. I lis wife 
passed away in 1N51. The subject is the 
only child of his parents, his mother having 
died when he was an infant. He was reared 
in Grayville, having been educated in the 
public schools there, also went to school at 
Normal, Illinois. He became deputy post- 
master at Grayville, which position he held 
for about four years, when he engaged in 
the mercantile business under the firm name 
of Jolly. Spring & Hollister. for about four 
years. Soon afterward, in [877, he came 
to Olney and engaged in the hardware busi- 
ness under the firm name of Prunty & Jolly, 
in which business lie has continued success- 
fully ever since. A few years later the firm 
name became J. B. & J. F. Jolly. In 1904 
the present firm organized as Jolly, W'ie- 
land & Richardson. These two men had been 
with Mr. Jolly as clerks for many years, the 
fi ■niter as manager of the store and the latter 
as manager of the manufacturing depart- 
ment of plumbing, tinning and heating. The 
change was due to the impairment of Mr. 
Jolly's health. 

They carry an extensive line of hardware, 
Stoves, tinware and in fact a complete and 

carefully selected stock of such things at all 

times, and they carry on a very extensive 
trade throughout the county. 



KICHLAXD, CLAY AND .MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



135 



Mr. Jolly was united in marriage in 1880, 
to Mary Morrison, a native of Olney, the 
daughter of George D. and Kate (Snyder) 
Morrison, the former a native of Ohio ami 
the latter of Lawrence county, Illinois. The 
Morrisons were originally from Virginia, 
and the Snyders of Kentucky. The mother 
resides with her daughter, Airs. Jolly, in Ol- 
ney. The father died in 1873, at the age 
of forty-one years. One daughter has been 
born to our subject and wife, George Eliza- 
beth, who was educated at Olney in the 
high school and at Wellesley College. She 
is a winsome and talented young lady and 
popular in whatever society she enters. 

Mr. Jolly is an active Republican. He 
was chairman of the County Central Com- 
mittee for twelve years, and was Mayor of 
Olney from 1895 to 1896, during which 
time he did many things that will be of per- 
manent benefit to the town, leaving more 
money in the treasury at the expiration of 
his term than ever had been and has been 
since. His was a most excellent business 
administration. 

In his fraternal relations he belongs to 
the Benevolent and Protective Order of 
Elks. Mrs. Jolly is a member of the Meth- 
odist Episcopal church, and is president of 
the Ladies' Guild, which has raised more 
money than any similar organization, being 
largely responsible for the erection of the 
new church building. 

In 1889, owing to poor health, Mr. Jolly 
went to California and after many months 
returned to his home much improved. When 
he came back to Olney it was with the in- 



tention of quitting the confinement of the 
store and engaging in outdoor pursuits, and 
lie accordingly became interested in horti- 
culture, and in the spring of 1890, planted 
the second commercial orchard in Richland 
county of eighty acres adjoining Olney. 
Since then he has bought adjoining tracts 
and planted additional acreage until now he 
owns two hundred acres of fine fruit land, 
set a well selected variety of trees, nearly 
all of which are bearing. He has been very 
active along these lines and is one of the best 
posted and well known horticulturists in 
Southern Illinois. His work and practical 
experience and demonstrations, have con- 
tributed much to the interest taken by others 
in bringing Richland county to the front 
as one of the leading fruit sections in this 
part of the state, and he now has one of the 
finest and best kept orchards in the state, 
from which in 1902 from one hundred acres 
he sold the apple crop for ten thousand dol- 
lars, it having produced ten thousand bar- 
rels. He employs modern methods in his 
horticultural work, and his farm buildings 
and equipment are of the latest and most up- 
to-date in this section of the state. The 
spraying plant is without doubt the most 
complete in Southern Illinois, if not in the 
state. He has tanks for manufacturing 
spray, and the cooking of the same for four 
thousand gallons capacity, the cooking be- 
ing done by steam, and gasoline engines for 
power in spraying. Being enthusiastic in 
horticulture, it naturally follows that he is 
a student and active in societies of this na- 
ture. For the past ten years he has been 



I'.int.K VPHN u. wo REMINISCEN1 ll l.-ioin i n 



presidenl of the Richland Countj Horticul- 
tural Society, which was organized about 
[888, although it- greatest and best work 
has been aco implished < if late years. I [e 
has also Itch a member of the Illinois Hor- 
ticultural Society, and for more than seven 
years a member of its advisory committee, 
which has been of greal benefit to horticul- 
tural interests of Richland county. The 
state makes appropriations for experimental 
work in various |>art> of Illinois and the 
monej is judiciously expended by the advis 
ory committee at such points wherein their 
judgmenl the besl results can be obtained. 
Mr. Jolly is a public-spirited man. always 
read) to do what he can in furthering the 
interests of the county, and he is regarded 
by all as one of the enmity's mosl useful 
citizens, and numbers his friend- by the 

sci ires. 



VV. S. CONANT. 



Marion county, Illinois, is characterized 
1>\ her full share of the honored and faith- 
ful element who have done so much for the 
opment and upbuilding of the state and 
tablishment of the institutions of civ- 
ilization in this fertile and well favored sec- 
tion. Vmong these worthy native sons the 
name of the subject of this sketch is 
properly installed. 

\\ . S. Conanl was born in this county. 
September _'_•. 1854, the -on of William R., 
and Fannie (Swift) Conant. Grandfather 
Conanl was a native of Massachusetts, who 

I from that -tate to Georgia and then 



to [Hinois, settling in Marion county, dan 

tog here 111 an early da_\ and being the first 
scln h ,1 teacher in the county, lie entered 
land here and farmed for some time, having 
passed to hi- rest about [840, at the age of 
about fift) years. His wife died within one 
week of her husband. Grandfather Swift 
was a native of Tennessee, who moved to 
this county about [830, entering land here 
which In- developed into a farm and where 
he reared In- family, lie died a shorl dis 
tance from where he tir-t located, having 

moved to the former place, In- death occur- 
ring about [870, when he wa- about se\ 
cuty years old. Ill- widow survived bun 
about ten years. She was a Presbyterian. 
There were five children in this family, all 
of them living to maturity. 

The father of the subject was born in 
Georgia and came to Illinois with his par- 
ents when he was but a boy. Ill- father 
being a teacher. In- received some education. 
but the father of the subject was a hard- 
working man and did nol take time to prop 
erly improve his education. He was always 
a fanner. He entered land which he later 
added to by purchase until he had a valu- 
able farm of two hundred acres, which lie 
left at bis death. The mother of the sub- 
ject died when she was two years old. in 
[856, hi- father having died at the age of 
forty, lb- was a Democrat in political be- 
lief. 

W. S. Conant, our subject, had the ad- 
vantage of a common school education, and 
having applied himself in a diligent manner 
he became fairly well educated, not leaving 



RICHLAND. CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



137 



the school room until he was nineteen years 
old. I If worked on his father's farm until 
he was twenty, when he went to work on his 
own account. He farmed with Ins brother- 
in-law, then rented a farm and so continued 
for four years. He then boughl a farm in 
1 NX 1 of three hundred and twenty acres. 
It was unimproved prairie land, hut the sub- 
ject devoted seven years of hard work on 
the place and developed a fine and well im 
proved farm. He still owns this place, lie 
then bought a residence property, and in 
time sold that and purchased the farm 
where he has since resided, which consists 
of twenty-four acres on which there is a 
modern and substantial residence together 
with convenient out-buildings. The subject 
carries on general farming in a most suc- 
cessful manner, skillfully rotating his crops 
so as to keep the soil in good productive 
condition. He also devoted much time to 
stock raising, being a good judge of all 
kinds of live stock, especially cattle and 
horses. He frequently feeds for the mar- 
ket, but is now selling his stock for other 
purposes. He raises a good class of horses. 
For six years he engaged in buying and sel- 
ling live stock in connection with his farm- 
ing and made this business a success in 
every particular. 

Our subject was united in marriage in 
November, 1877. to Agnes I. Morgan, 
daughter of J. B. and Martha (Doolen) 
Morgan, who came to this county at an 
early day. There were two of the Doolen 
brothers who went through the Civil war, 
and are living in 1908. 



Six children have been born to the suIj- 
ject and wife, as follows: Martha, born in 
1XN0, \\h,i died in infancy; Gracie; Flor- 
ence, who was born in 1 XX 1 , died when 
three years old; William, who was bom 
September 22, [885, died when six years 
old; George, who was born July X. [887, 
is a farmer, married and has one child; 
Clarence C. was born July 14, 1894; Lewis 
was born in 1897, is single and living at 
home. 

The subject is a member of the Independ- 
ent Order of Odd Fellows, in his fraternal 
relations, and also a Modern Woodman, be- 
longing also to the Royal Neighbors, having 
filled all the chairs in an able manner in 
the Woodmen. In his religious affiliations 
he subscribes to the Methodist Episcopal 
church, South, as does also Ins wife. Mr. 
Conant is a loyal Democrat although he 
does not find much time to devote to polit- 
ical matters. 



GEORGE I). MORRISON'. 

The biographer is glad to herein set forth 
the salient facts in the eminently successful 
and honorable career of the well remem- 
bered and highly esteemed citizen of Rich- 
land county whose name appears above, the 
last chapter in whose life record has been 
closed by the hand of death, and the seal 
set thereon forever, but whose influence still 
pervades the lives of those with whom be 
came in contact. For many years be was 
closely identified with the industrial develop- 



I> s 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



men! of the county, and aided in ever] waj 
possible in promoting the general good oi 
the community. 

George l>. Morrison was born at Zanes 
ville, Ohio, April i. 1832, the son of George 
VV. and Rebecca i Potter) Morrison, the for 
mer a native of Loudoun county, Virginia, 
the latter of Maryland. During his earlier 
years, the subject's father was a freighter, 
keeping numerous teams and transporting 
merchandise from Boston and other Eastern 
markets to the interior before the days of 
railroads, lie was a soldier in the War of 
[812, and was severely wounded, suffering 
from the wound for a number of years, ren- 
dering finally the amputation of his limb a 
necessity. After his marriage he tinned to 
Ohio and for several years engaged in the 
hotel business. Later he came to Richland 
county, and died in Olney when about 
eighty years of age, his wife having died a 
few months previous at a ripe old age. Thej 
were the parents of twelve children. Lour of 
their sons were soldiers in the Civil war. 
and five of their suns were ministers of the 
I lospel. One of their sons started east from 
( >hio in the early days with a load of sup- 
plies hut was never heard from afterwards. 
The six horse team and wagon of supplies 
all mysteriously disappeared in the wilder 
ness. Foul play by bandits or the Indian-; 
was suspected. Our subject was the ninth 
in order of birth, lie was reared in Ohio 
where he received a good common school 
education, and after removing to Illinois at- 
ded an advanced school at Evanston, TL 
linnis. TTe became clerk in a store. Alxiut 
[855 he came to Olney and followed clerk- 



ing for a time, lie later established a dry 
goods store just before the outbreak of the 
Civil war. His health beginning to fail he 
sold out and served one term as Circuit 
(Ink of Richland county, giving entire sat- 
isfaction in this capacity, lie was elected 
County Treasurer and died during his in- 
cumbency of this cifhee 111 1873. at the age of 
forty-one years, lie was married in i860 
to Kate Snyder, a native of Lawrence 
county, Illinois, the daughter of John and 
Clarissa 1 Saucer) Snyder. They were na- 
tives of Kentucky, where they were reared 
and where they were married, ami in an 
early day emigrated to Lawrence county. 
Illinois. Somi afterward in [838, they 
came to what is now Richland county, and 
located on a farm in Claremont township, for 
years known as Hickory I '"int. This farm 
was entered from the government by the 
father of John Snyder, who was among the 
first settlers of what is now Richland 
county. Samuel Snyder was the subject's 
grandfather. He was a native of Pennsyl- 
vania, was reared in Kentucky and moved 
from Rockport. Indiana, to Illinois. One of 
his sons. Maurice 15. Snyder, was Circuit 
Clerk after the organization of Richland 
county, for a number of years. Grandfather 
Spencer was a native of Virginia, and he 
moved to Kentucky in an early day. Both 
the subject's grandfathers served in the War 
of 1812. Three of grandfather Spencer's 
suns were in the AVar of 1812, also in the 
Black Hawk war. Spencer county, Indiana, 
was named in honor of this family. 

John Snyder, father .if Mrs. Morrison, 
was a farmer during his lifetime and im- 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



139 



proved a tine farm in Claremont township, 
where he died at the age of fifty-seven years 
in 1861. His wife survived several years 
and died at the home of her daughter at 
Poplar Bluff. Missouri, at the advanced age 
of eighty-three years. She was the mother 
of five children, four of whom are still liv- 
ing. Her only son, John Snyder, was a sol- 
dier in the Civil war, having enlisted as soon 
as old enough, in the Seventh Illinois Cav- 
alry. He was in many engagements, and 
his health was impaired while in the service. 
He now lives in Douglas county, Missouri. 
Mrs. Morrison is the mother of three 
children: Mary, the wife of J. F. Jolly, of 
Olney : Mattie, wife of J. L. Clevlen, of 
Poplar Bluff, Missouri ; Kate, the wife of 
E. A. Powers, of Olney. Mrs. Morrison 
makes her home with her children, spending 
most of her time in Olney. She is one of 
the oldest residents of the county now living. 
Her life has been one of the usual hardship 
and pleasure, of victory and defeat, but lived 
in such a manner as to result in no harm to 
others, as was also that of her worthy hus- 
band, both being faultless in honor, fearless 
in conduct and stainless in reputation, com- 
manding the uniform regard and esteem of 
their manv friends. 



SAMUEL D. GRAHAM. 

The enterprising citizen whose name 
heads this article needs no introduction to 
the people of Marion county. He has been 



for some time prominently identified with 
the financial and industrial interests of the 
community where he resides and always 
manifesting an active interest in the pub- 
lic welfare. His long life has been a most 
active and useful one in every respect, and 
has resulted in the accumulation of an 
ample competence for his closing years as 
well as in much good to his fellow men and 
the community at large, where he has many 
warm friends. 

Samuel D. Graham was born in Rush 
county, Indiana, in April, 1836, the son of 
Hezekiah and Sarah (Smith) Graham. 
Grandfather Graham' was born in Scotland 
and came to Pennsylvania in the seven- 
teenth century. Both he and his brother, 
Isaac, came from Scotland and both fought 
in the Revolutionary war. Grandfather 
was a captain and he had his eyes burned by 
the explosion of a gun in the hands of one 
of his own soldiers and eventually lost his 
eyesight from the effects of it, having been 
blind for twenty years before his death. He 
never drew his pension although it was al- 
lowed. It is in the hands of the govern- 
ment yet. He was about eighty years old 
when he died, leaving eight children living 
out of a family of nine, all of whom lived 
to maturity, five of whom moved to Ohio, 
where they made homes and reared families 
and where they died. Grandfather was dea- 
con in the Baptist church for forty years, 
and he and Grandmother Graham were 
Baptists and always lived the Christian life. 

Grandfather Smith was a native of Penn- 
sylvania, who moved from there to Butler 






BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCKN1 HISTORY OB 



county, Ohio, after the- death of his firsi 
wife. He and our subject's father w ■ 
married by the same minister and with bhe 
same ceremony. In Grandfather Smith's 
family then.- were seven children, who lived 
in maturity. The youngesl daughter by 
this marriage, Rebecca McClelland, was the 
mother <>f ( ,cn. George B. McClelland. 
There was no issue from the second mar- 
riage. Grandfather Smith lived to be well 
advanced in years. After his remains had 
been buried twelve years, they were taken 
up for removal and it was found that his 
body was petrified. Grandfather Smith was 
a Revolutionary soldier and one of his sou, 
in-law, Oren Davis, was with him as a sol- 
dier, ami his son. Charles was in the Black 
Hawk war. 

The father of the subject left Pennsyl- 
vania when twenty years old. He did not 
have early school advantages, but in time 
became educated and a well read man 
through his own persistent efforts, being 
particularly well informed on historical mat- 
ters and events. He settled in Butler 
county, Ohio, buying timbered land which 
he cleared and developed into a good farm. 
living there for about twelve years, when he 
moved to Rush comity. Indiana, in [83I, 
remaining there until his death, which oc- 
curred at the age of seventy-two years, his 
date of birth having occurred on August 6, 
[799. Ills wife was born in October, 1800. 
lie was twice married. Ins first wife being 
the mother of our subject. She died at the 
of thirty-seven years, having given 
birth to eleven children, seven of whom 



lived to maturity. The father was married 
1, there being horn to the last union 
ten children, all of whom lived to maturity. 
The father and mother were Baptists. The 
former spent his entire life on a farm, 
leaving a farm and a goodly share of money 
to his heirs, and also left land in Iowa, all 
of which shows that he was a thrifty and 
prudent man 1 if affairs. 

Ile/ekiah Graham, father of the subject, 
in addition to his own family of eighteen 
children took four orphan boys and one 
girl and kept them until they reached ma- 
turity and in addition to these he was al- 
ways hunting and finding homes for other 
orphan children, and his own smoke-house 
and granary were always open to the poor 
and needy. Tie believed with the great 
philosopher, Henry Drummond, that "The 
greatest thing a man can do for his 
Heavenly Father is to he kind to some of 
1 lis children." 

Samuel D. Graham, our subject, had but 
little opportunity to attend school, having 
spent altogether less than six months in the 
school room. lie worked on his father's 
farm until he was twenty-six years old. then 
hired out as a farm hand for ten years, dur- 
ing which time he saved his earnings and 
bought a farm in Fayette count)'. Indiana, 
lie lived there for ten years, then sold out 
and bought another farm in Union county. 
Indiana, and sold this at the end of two 
years, when he moved to Illinois, settling 
in Marion county, buying a farm of one 
hundred and eighty-five acres of improved 
land, near Kinmundv in [882. In IQ03 he 



RICHLAND, CLAY WD MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



141 



bought his splendid modern residence and 
two acres of ground in Kinmundy, where 
he has since resided. He sold his 
farm here and bought a farm in 
Butler county, Missouri, consisting of one 
hundred and sixty acres of improved bottom 
land on which his son resides and success- 
fully manages. Since coming to Kinmundy 
our subject has lived in peaceful and hon- 
orable retirement, conscious of a well spent 
life, which has been a very active one and 
has resulted in success in an eminent 
degree. He always benefited himself in 
his land deals and was an unusually good 
farmer, keeping his farms well improved 
and in a high state of cultivation. 

Our subject was married in 1870 to Mrs. 
Rhoda E. Prichard, nee Patterson, a native 
of Union county. Indiana. Her father. 
Alexander Patterson, was born December 
7. 181 5. and came to Ohio when fifteen 
years of age, later to Union county, Indiana, 
where his father had purchased an eighty- 
acre farm. He lived and died on that farm. 
Mrs. Graham became the mother of three 
children by her first marriage, all of whom 
are deceased. One of the oldest brothers, 
James M. Patterson, was a soldier during 
the Civil war from Indiana, and was killed 
at Winchester, Virginia, in the battle of 
September 19, 1864. Her people were of 
Scotch-German descent. Her grandparents 
on her father's side were married Septem- 
ber 6. 1798. Grandfather Patterson was 
born April 14. 1769. and Grandmother Pat- 
terson was born July 29, 1776. 

The following children have been born 



to Mr. and Mrs. Graham: Harvey McClel- 
land, born August 23, 1871, was accident- 
ally killed in 1904; William H., was born 
in 1873, is living on a farm in Missouri, is 
married, but has no children living: Tillie 
Alma, who was born December 15, 1878, 
died January 28, 1879: Katie L., born May 
6, 1880, is the wife of Melvin Hamilton, 
and is living in Indiana. They have two 
children living. 

Both Mr. and Mrs. Graham are active 
members of the Baptist church. Our sub- 
ject is a loyal Democrat, but seldom takes 
much interest in political affairs, however, 
his support is always for the good of the 
community in all questions. 

Our subject has been a great reader, hav- 
ing read the Bible through not less than six 
or seven times, besides scores of other good 
books and much pure literary matter. He 
relates that he has been acquainted with 
not less than five hundred of the Grahams 
and that he never knew or heard of 
one of them who ever used intoxicants of 
any kind or character, and but few of them 
who ever used tobacco., and about one-half 
of them are church people. 



ERASTUS D. TELFORD. 

Only those who come in personal con- 
tact with the gentleman whose name appears 
above, the popular and well known City At- 
torney of Salem, Illinois, can understand 
how thoroughly nature and training, habits 



I 1- 



B RAPHICAL \\n REMINISCEN1 HISTORY OF 



ol though) and action, have enabled him to 
accomplish his life work and made him a fit 
representative of the enterprising class of 
professional people to which he belongs. He 
is a fine type of the sturdy, conscientious 
American of today — a man who unites a 
high order of ability with courage, pa- 
triotism, clean morality and sound common 
sense, doing thoroughly and well the work 
that he finds to do and asking praise of no 
man for the performance of what he con- 
es to be his simple duty. 

Erastus I). Telford was born in Raccoon 
township, Marion county, April 23, 1874. 
|. |) !<lh>nl. whose life history is embod- 
ied in another pari of this volume, who lias 
long been a well known ami influential char- 
acter about Salem, is the father of our sub- 
ject. Samuel G. Telford, who lives in 
1 [aines township, and who was hum in 1827 
in this county, and who is still making his 
In une two and one-half miles west of where 
he was born, is the subject's grandfather. 
His .ureal grandfather was James Telford, 
a native of South Carolina, who settled in 
Marion county in [822, died in 1856. Our 
Mil ijcct \ father was the first Republican 
Sheriff of Marion county, having been 
elected in [882. The mother of the subject 
was known in her maidenhood as Ann 
Wyatt, a native of Tennessee and the rep- 
resentative nf a tine old southern family. 
Her father sold all hi- possessions in that 

te and 1 .une t" Illinois in 1860, settling 
mi the farm now owned by J. 1"). Telford, 
father of the Subject of this sketch, to whom 

and hi- worthy and faithful life companion 



seven children were burn, all living at this 
writing, named in order of birth as follows: 
Dr. A. T., of Olney, Illinois; Erastus D., 
our subject; (Jla, of the United States Life 
Saving Station of Chicago; Omer. who lives 
on a farm three miles west of Salem; Oran 
is living at home; Erma, who is still a 
member of the family circle; J. D., Jr. 
These children were reared in a wholesome 
home atmosphere and were given every ad- 
vantage possible by their parents. 

E. D. Telford has lived in Salem for 
twenty-six years, or since his father moved 
here. He worked on the parental farm un- 
til he was twenty-one years old, where he 
received valuable training in the out door 
hie of the country, not the least advantage 
of which was the acquisition of a robust con- 
stitution which is a necessary prerequisite 
fur the battle of life in any field of endeavor. 
He attended the public schools in his neigh- 
borhood and later graduated in 1890 from 
the Salem high schools where he made a 
splendid record, for our subject early de- 
termined to secure a good education and fit 
himself as best he possibly could for life's 
ardent duties. 

After leaving school he decided to teach 
and consequently followed this line of work 
with marked success for a few years, during 
which time he became widely known 
throughout the county as an able instructor. 
I '.hi in >t being satisfied with the education 
he already possi t,<\ with the routine 

and somewhat obscure work of the teacher, 
he gave up his work and entered McKen- 
dree College, a denominational school at 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MAKION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



1 43 



Lebanon, Illinois, from which institution he 
graduated with high honors in 1897, with 
the degree Bachelor of Science. Having 
decided to make the profession of law his 
life work, Mr. Telford in the fall of 1898 
went to Washington City and entered the 
law department of Georgetown University, 
where he made a brilliant record and from 
which institution he graduated in 1900. In 
the meantime he had been appointed to a po- 
sition in the United States Treasury depart- 
ment, his unusual talents having attracted 
the attention of authorities in this depart- 
ment. Mr. Telford remained in the Treas- 
ury department, where he gave the greatest 
satisfaction to the higher officials and where 
his work was very creditably and faithfully 
performed until April 1, 1906, when he re- 
signed and returned to Salem, Illinois, for 
the purpose of engaging in the practice of 
law, and, useless to say that his success was 
instantaneous, and he at once had a large 
clientele, his office being sought by clients 
with a wide range of cases, and his fame 
soon overspread Marion county, extending 
to other fields, consequently he was fre- 
quently called to other localities on import- 
ant cases and his cool, careful, determined 
manner in presenting his arguments before 
a jury seldom failed in bringing a verdict in 
his favor. 

Mr. Telford was soon slated for political 
preferment, leaders in his party being quick 
to detect unusual ability as a public official 
in him. consequently in April, 1907, he was 
elected City Attorney of Salem, which posi- 
tion he now very creditably fills to the satis- 
faction of the entire community. At the 



primaries in August, 1908, he was nomi- 
nated by the Republicans for State Attorney 
for Marion county. 

Mr. Telford's domestic life dates from 
November 1, 1900, when he was united in 
marriage with Coral M. Wright, the accom- 
plished daughter of William Wright, a well 
known and influential citizen of Lincoln, 
Nebraska. The following bright and inter- 
esting children have come into the cozy and 
pleasant home of Mr. and Mrs. Telford, 
bringing additional sunshine : Elbridge 
Wright Telford, whose day of birth oc- 
curred September 29, 1901 ; Dorothy Mar- 
garet, who first saw the light of day on 
August 18, 1905. 

Mr. Telford has been a careful business 
man as well as a successful attorney, and he 
has accumulated rapidly, now being a stock- 
holder in the Salem National Bank, also the 
Salem Building and Loan Association. He 
is the owner of a modern, substantial and 
beautiful residence on North Broadwav. 

In his fraternal relations, our subject is a 
member of the ancient and honorable order 
of Masons, the Blue Lodge and the Royal 
Arch Chapter; also a Modern Woodman. 
And both he and his wife are consistent and 
faithful members of the Methodist Episco- 
pal church. Mr. Telford is one of the sub- 
stantial and popular men of Marion county, 
and his home which is presided over with 
rare grace and dignity by Mrs. Telford, is 
the center of a genial hospitality. He is 
liberal in his support of all religious and 
charitable movements, and no one takes a 
greater pride in the progress of his commu- 
nity. 



I II 



BIOGRAPHICAL \\l> REMINISCEN1 HISTORY OF 



\\ I id. I AM r. ST< IRMEN I. 

I Ik.- gentleman whose name introduces 
this sketch is one of theleading fanners and 
frail growers of Marion county, and also 
enjoj s the distinction of being a representa- 
tive of two "f the old and highlj esteemed 
pioneer families of the township in which he 
lives. John Stonnent. his grandfather, 
a South Carolinian by birth, moved to 
Marion count) about the year 1S38, 
and purchased a large tract of govern- 
ment land, principally in what is now I lames 
township, the patents for which bearing the 
signature >•* Presidenl Van Buren arc now 
in the possession of the subject of tins re 

w. John Storment became a prosperous 
farmer and repi esental i\ e citi :en an<l 
wielded a strong influence among the early 
settlers of Haines township, having been a 
man of greal force of character and deter- 
mination of purpose. He did much to pro 
mote the interests of agriculture and will 
long be remembered as one of the sterling 

men to whose labors and influence the 

sent flourishing condition of Haines 
township is largely due. 

\\ illiam EC. St< irment, si m 1 if John St. ir 
meut and father of William 'I"., was a native 
of Marion county and for mam years one 
of t ft essi\ e farmers and enterprisit 

citizens , a' the township of I lames, lie. r 
was public spirited and a natural leader 
among his fellow nun. stood high in the es 
teem "fall wuh whom h< came into contact 

1 belonged t" that large and eminently re 
spectable class who in a quiet but forceful 



wa\ do s, , much for the material progress 
of the country and give moral tone to the 
body politic. At the breaking out of the late 
1 ivil war he enlisted in the One Hundred 

and Eleventh Illinois Infantry and devoted 

three of the best years of his life to the serv 
ice of his country, participating in all the 
campaigns and battles in which his regiment 
was engaged and earning an honorable rec- 
ord as a brave and gallant defender of the 
Union. 

When a young man William K. Stormen< 
married Miss Martha I. Wham, of Marion 
county, and in due tune became the father 
of five children, namely: Elmer (deceased; 

Minnie (deceased); John K., a farmer and 
fruit grower of Mississippi; William T., of 
this review, and one that died in infancy. 

The parents of these children were esteemed 

members of the United Presbyterian church 

and spared no pains to impress upon their 
young minds and hearts the principles of re 

ligion and the beauty and value of a living 
Christian faith. William K. Storment was 
10I only an influential man in the affairs of 
his church, but was also a local politician of 
isiderable note, having been one of the 
leading Republicans of his township, though 

never a partisan, much less a seeker after 
the honors and emoluments of public office 
Me died some veal's ago On the home farm 
in Haines township, lamented by all who 
knew him. leaving to his descendants the 
memory k\ an honored name, which they 
value as a priceless heritage. Mrs. Storment 
is the daughter of William Wham, one 
the earl) settlei S 1 a' Marion county and 




RESIDENCE OF W. T. STORMENT, 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



145 



influential factor of the pioneer period. She 
is still living; and enjoys the acquaintance of 
a large circle of friends, who hold her in the 
highest personal regard. 

William T. Storment, to a brief review of 
whose career the following lines are de- 
voted, was born in Haines township on the 
farm one mile north of Kell, which he now 
owns and occupies, September 10, 1867. 
Like the majority of country lads, he was 
reared to habits of industry, early became 
familiar with the various duties of farm life 
and in the public schools, which he attended 
at intervals during his minority, received his 
educational training. Manifesting a decided 
taste for mechanical pursuits while still 
young, he turned his abilities in this direc- 
tion to practical use by learning carpentry, at 
which he acquired more than ordinary pro- 
ficiency and which he followed for some 
years in his own and neighboring localities, 
a number of residences and other edifices 
bearing witness to his ability and skill as a 
builder. After a time, however, he discon- 
tinued his trade and purchasing the home 
farm, lias since given his attention to agri- 
culture and fruit growing, meeting with 
most encouraging success and achieving 
much more than local repute as a progres- 
sive and up-to-date tiller of the soil. In the 
meantime he has made many valuable im- 
provements on the place, remodeling the 
house and converting it into a first class mod- 
em dwelling with all the latest conveniences, 
including among others a heating plant that 
adds greatly to the comfort of the home, be- 
sides lessening in no small degree the ex- 

TO 



pense of providing fuel. The barn, which is 
one of the largest and most conveniently ar- 
ranged buildings of the kind in the neigh- 
borhood, is a model of architectural and 
mechanical skill, while all the other improve- 
ments are in keeping therewith, the farm 
consisting of one hundred and twenty-five 
acres of highly improved land, being one of 
the most valuable as well as one of the most 
desirable places of its area in Marion county. 
Mr. Storment takes a pardonable pride in 
his home and has spared neither pains nor 
expense in making it beautiful and attractive 
and it is now conceded to be one of the fin- 
est country seats not only in Marion county, 
hut in the southern part of the state. Be- 
lieving this section of Illinois to possess the 
necessary characteristics for successful fruit 
growing. Air. Storment some years ago 
planted a part of his farm in choice apple, 
pear and peach, trees, the results in due time 
more than realizing his highest expectations. 
Encouraged by the success of the venture, 
he continued planting from time to time, un- 
til he now has one hundred and ten acres in 
fruit, the income from which far surpasses 
what he ever received from the raising of 
grain. He makes horticulture not only his 
chief business, but pursues it with the en- 
thusiasm and delight of a pastime. He de- 
votes much time to the study of the subject, 
reduces his researches to practical tests, and 
in this way has made the business very re- 
munerative. By employing scientific meth 
ods, such as proper fertilizing, spraying, 
pruning, etc., he never fails to realize abun- 
dant crops of the finest fruits raised in this 



14'' 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



part of the state, and that, too, when other 
orchards fail entirely it at least bear but a 
scant} supply and of a poor and inferior 
quality. Among the improvements of which 
he makes use- is a portable gas engine for the 
purpose of spraying, the value of which in 
the saving of time as well as of insuring full 
yields is many hundred fold in execs- of the 
ami unit the contrivance cost. 

Mr. Storment is not only the leading hor 
ticulturist in Marion county, but as a farm 
er he also occupies a place in the front rank. 
making use of modern implements and ma 
chiner\- and employing only the most ap- 
ds in the cultivation of the soil 
lie is essentiallj progressive in his ideas, be 
[ieves thai satisfactory results can only be ob- 
tained from the exercise of sound judgment 
and wise discretion and possessing the abil 
itv to foresee with remarkable accuracy the 
future outcome of present action, he is sel- 
dom if ever disappointed in any of his plans 
or undertakings. A man of strong charac- 
ter ami inflexible integrity, he stands high 
as a citizen, takes an active interest in pub- 
lic matters both general and local and all 
ires and enterprises for the material 
progress of the- coitntr) and the social and 
mural advancement of the people are sure to 
enlist his hearty cooperation and SUpporl 
Mis political views are in harmony with the 
principles and traditions of the Republican 
party, and while firm in his convictions and 
earnest and in maintaining the 

soundness of his opinions, he cannot be 
called a partisan, nor lias he ever disturbed 
Hi,- .■■ . n ten ir i if his life b) a spii ing to of 



lice or leadership, lie is first of all a credit- 
able representative of the ancient and hon- 
orable calling of agriculture and as such he 
ranks among the mosl enterprising and sue 
cessful men in the state, this, with the simple 
title of citizen, being sufficient to make him 
contented with his lot, as well as an example 
!'■ his fellow men in correct living. 

The domestic life of Mr. Stormenl dates 
from [892, in which year he was united in 
marriage with 1 sta Davis, of Marion coun 
ty. daughter of Bloom P. and Mariah 1 \1 
bert) Davis, both natives of Illinois, the fa- 
ther of Jefferson county, the mother of the 
county of Marion. Mr. and Mrs. Stormenl 
are esteemed members of the United Presby- 
terian church, belonging to what is known 
the Ri niiine Prairie congregation and active 
in all lines of religious and charitable work 
under the auspices of the same. Socially they 
are numbered among the best people of the 
community in which they reside and their 
popularity is limited only by the circle of 
their acquaintance. The Davis family, to 
which Mrs. Stormenl belongs, has long oc 
cupied a conspicuous place in the confidence 
and respect of the people of Marion county 
and its reputation for honorable manhood 
and womanhood is second to that of no oth- 
er family in this part of the state. For many 
the name has been identified with the 
Christian church of Marion and neighboring 
counties. Mr. Davis and his wife having 
been prominenl members of that body and 
influential in religious work in their own and 
other localities. Mrs. Stormenl is the 
of a family of four children, three sisters and 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



147 



a brother, namely : Maggie, who married 
Ernest Kell, of Marion county ; Anderson, 
who lives on the home farm, and Minnie, 
who is unmarried and also a member of the 
home circle. 



JUDGE THEODORE AUGUSTUS 
FRITCHEY. 

When it is stated that the subject of this 
sketch has served as postmaster of Olney t< ir 
three terms, or since 1897, the significance 
is so patent that nothing further need be 
said as indicating the confidence and 
esteem in which he is held by the 
people of Richland county. As an 
able official and representative and popu- 
lar citizen, we are pleased to record in this 
wi irk a sketch of the life of Mr. Fritchey. wh. 1 
is one of the best known men in the county, 
and who for man)- years was ami nig the 
most prominent members of the bar and 
bench in this locality, and who, during his 
long residence here has done so much for 
the material, civic, educational and moral 
advancement of the county, ever having its 
interests at heart and losing no opportunity 
to help others in the work of progress 
while advancing his own interests. 

Theodore Augustus Fritchey was born in 
Montgomery countv. Ohio, near Dayton, 
April 24, 1855, the son of Benjamin and Eliz- 
abeth ( McOueeny ) Fritchey. natives of 
Pennsylvania where they were reared and 
where they married, later moving to Mont- 
gomery countv, Ohio, locating in Baltimore, 



where the father engaged in merchandising. 
In 1870 he came to Olney where he continued 
in the mercantile busines until his death in 
1876, at the age of seventy years. His worthy 
life companion passed to her rest in 1900, at 
the age of seventy-five years. They were 
people of many praiseworthy traits and hon- 
orable at all times. They were the parents 
of eight children, all deceased except the sub- 
ject of this sketch and one daughter, Mrs. 
J. I. Moutray, of Ivokomo. Indiana, the sub- 
ject having been the fifth in order of birth. 
He was reared in Ohio and Illinois, receiving 
a public school education. He was an ambi- 
tious lad and when twenty years old began 
the study of law with Wilson and Hutchin- 
son, for years the leading law firm of South- 
ern Illinois. He made rapid progress and 
was admitted to the bar in 1879. He then 
formed a partnership with Judge J. C. Allen, 
which continued until 1907. They did an 
immmense business, the combination being 
one of peculiar power and their clients came 
from all parts of the county and surrounding 
counties, it being generally recognized as one 
of the best firms in the locality. The subject 
became prosperous through his successful 
practice and since the date mentioned ha= 
been practically retired, having given up all 
legal practice, preferring to devote all his 
time to the post-office and his business inter- 
csis in Richland and adjoining counties. He 
has large interests in oil. 

In his political relations our subject is a 
Republican, always loyal to his party's prin- 
ciples and always active. When he was 
twentv-one years old he was elected City 



I |S BI0GRAPHICA1 VND REMINISCENT HISTORY 01 

Clerk l>y a majoritj oi one, and he so faith home in which i s a fine library of choice 
fully did lii" work thai he was re-elected to volumes, where the judge spends many hours 
sii\r r . -iii years in all. In 188] he was in reading and reflection, and they are known 
elected ( it) Vttornej for one term of two as people of kindness, integrity and culture, 
years 1 1 u-n for two terms of four years as Judge Fritchey stands admittedly in the 
Countj fudge, IK- made ;i splendid record front ranks of Richland county's distin- 
both as Cit) Utorne) and as Judge, dispos- guished citizens, possessing .1 thorough 
nit; i i manj important cases in a manner that knowledge of law and keeping in el< ise touch 
stamped him as an able and learned jurist and with the trend of modern thought, He has 
well versed in the law. In 1897 he was ap- ever maintained his high standing, never de- 
pointed postmastei of t >lney by President scending beneath the dignitj of his profes 
McKinlej and is now (1909) serving his sion nor compromising his usefulness Ir 
third term with entire satisfaction. countenancing an) but legitimate practice. 

Judge Fritchey's happ) domestic life be 
gan in 1889, when he \\a> united in mar- 
riage with Marj Eliza Bucher, a native of 

Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, the daughter if LEANDER C. MATTHEWS. 

John E. and Mai j E 1 E b) 1 Bucher, alsi na 

lives of Pennsylvania rhe) moved to Ohio, ["he subject has spent his on lire life in this 

where her father became the head oi graded count) and he has always had deepl) at 

ami high schools and where he died. Mrs. heart the well being and improvement of the 

cher lives with her daughter, wife oi our county, using his influence whenever pos 

subjeel sible for the promotion of enterprises cal- 

Mr. and Mrs. Fritche) are the parents of culated to be of lasting benefit to his fellow 

two children, both giving promise of sue- men. besides taking a leading pan in all 

cessful futures, and who are recen ing every movements for the advancement of the com 

care .uu\ attention from their fond parents, munit) along social, intellectual and moral 

rhe) beai the names Paul I', and Hieodore lines. 

\ i fr. I eander C. Matthews was born South of 

In his fraternal relations Judge Fritchey Salem, in the edge of Jefferson county, Ma) 

belongs to the ancienl and lion red Masonic 25, 1848, the son of uidrew J. and llnlda 

Order, Knights femplar, also the Shrine. (Swaflford) Matthews, natives of rennessee 

He is a charter meml Olne) lodge No. and [llinois, respectively, and both repre- 

926, Benevolent and Protective Order 1 1 sentatives of honorable and well known 

Elks. Mr. and Mrs. Fritche) are faithful families in then own communities. 
and consistent members of the Methodisl Our subject remained under his parental 

copal church, fhe) have a beautiful roof until he readied man's estate and at- 



RK HLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



I I') 



tended the district schools in his native com- 
munity and in Centralia, where he applied 
himself in a careful manner and received a 
gOi d education. 

Mr. Matthews early decided to devote his 
life to a business career and he has bent 
every effort to this end with gratifying re- 
sults. 

He commenced a general business in 1883 
at Fairman, Marion county, Illinois, where 
he remained ten years with much success at- 
tending his efforts. He is at this writing 
engaged in the hay, grain and implement 
business in Kinmundy, this county, and is 
conducting a thriving business, his trade 
extending to all parts of the county and 
penetrating to adjoining counties, in 
fact he is one of the best known 
dealers in these lines in this part of the state 
and the able manner in which he conducts 
his business and his courteous treatment 
with those with whom he deals insure him 
a liberal income from year to year. 

Mr. Matthews was united in marriage Oc- 
tober 8, 1873, to S. Elizabeth Lydick, who 
was born near Odin, this county, December 
24, 1854, the refined and affable daughter 
of Isaac and Sarah (Sugg) Lydick, a well 
known family of that locality. 

The following family has been born to 
Mr. and Mrs. Matthews: Lillian, Baby, 
Hallie, Ilulda, Carl. They have all gone to 
their rest except Hulda, who is the wife of 
Albert C. Dunlap, of Champaign, Illinois. 

In his fraternal relations Mr. Matthews is 
a member of the Independent Order of Odd 
Fellows, of Kinmundy, also of the Knights 



of Pythias of this place. In politics he is a 
loyal Democrat and takes a vital interest in 
his party's affairs, however, he has never 
aspired to positions of public trust Both 
he and his wife are members of the Chris- 
tian church, and our subject is regarded as 
one of the substantial church workers of 
Kinmundy. and he has long taken an active 
part in all religious affairs. He is a man 
of large public spirit and enterprise, and per- 
sonally is of the genial and sunny type, 
pleasant to meet and makes friends readily, 
lie likes a good story and enjoys a good 
joke, and because of these qualities of com- 
mendation and genuine worth Mr. Mat- 
thews has won a host of warm friends which 
he retains, being popular with all classes in 
his community where he maintains a home 
that is comfortable, substantial and pleasant 
in all its appointments and which is regarded 
as a place of generous hospitality and good 
cheer. 



'I 111-; OLNEY SANITARIUM. 

One of the important institutions of Rich- 
land county. Illinois, in fact, one of the best 
known in the southern part of the state, u 
the Olney Sanitarium. Its phenomenal 
growth in a short time from a modesl begin- 
ning to a prominent place, ha- been due to 
the untiring efforts and extraordinary - 
cal and business ability of the founder. Dr. 
George T. Weber. Fourteen years ago, 1894, 
he had just received his degree of Docl 
Medicine and had begun practice as a young 



i ;o 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMIN ISl'KNT HISTORY OK 



man withoul means; however, he was always 
ambitious and an assiduous worker and made 
a good reoml in school, and ii was predicted 
li\ his instructors and friends thai the future 
held great things in store for him. I lis firsl 
practice was in the village of tngraham, Clay 
county, near Ins birthplace, where he re- 
mained for four years with growing popular- 
ity and success, during which time his work 
in surgery and special cases had attracted 
more than ordinary attention and had sug- 
gested to him the necessity and desirability 
of a central point, where patients could be 
cared for better than at their homes. Accord- 
ingly in [898 he came to * )lney and purchased 
the old Arlington hotel building, a three- 
story brick structure which was duly remod- 
eled and equipped for hospital purposes. 

The hospital was thrown open for the re- 
ception of patients in the fall of 1898 and 
from the first the success of the undertaking 
was assured. It «*>u hecame necessary to em- 
ploy assistants and in due time Doctor Ziliak 
hecame a partner. During the years [900 
and tOX>I, a three-story addition, which now 
constitutes the main part of the structure, was 
erected, making possible the care of twenty- 
four additional patients in as many rooms. 
In the latter part of 11)05, a brother of the 
founder. F. J. W'eher. who had recently 

graduated from a medical college, bought the 

interest of I >octor Xiliak. since which time the 
business has been owned and conducted by 
Webers. In [907, another brother, J. C. 
W'eher. also a physician ami surgepn, be- 
came interested in the sanitarium, also two 
sisters. Catherine and Philomena W'eher. 



both of whom are graduated and very pro 
ficient nurses. A stock company was accord- 
ingly formed and incorporated .March 5. 
1907. with a capital stock of forty thousand 
di 'liars and the following officers were elected 
which continue to serve at this writing: 
< ieorge T. Weber, president; Frank J. 
\\ eher. secretary and treasurer. The stock- 
holders include the above and Joseph C. T 
Catherine and Philomena Weber. 

Xo institution of a similar nature ever had 
a more rapid growth and it is today regarded 
as one of the best in the state. The busi- 
ness of the sanitarium is devoted principally 
tO surgical and special cases, also chronic 
cases and some mild forms of nervous dis- 
eases. Hundreds of operations are annually 
performed here and. are uniformly successful. 

The Olney Sanitarium is a three-story 
brick structure, with a basement underneath 
the entire building with accommodations for 
thirty-six patients. It is operated at the 
limit <>f its capacity all the time and plans are 
being considered for further enlarging the 
building, the numerous application of pa- 
tients all over the country rendering more 
room a necessity. The basement is used tor a 
drug department, storage purposes and the 
keeping of fruits, vegetables, etc. The first 
floor is denoted to reception rooms, offices, 
consultation r 10ms, dining n 10m and kitchen, 
rooms and verandas for canvalescents, etc 
The upper floors are devoted to wards for 
patients. The operating room is on the set 
ond lloor. It is sixteen by sixteen feet and 
contains everything in modern equipment 
usually found in institutions of like character. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



ISI 



Fourteen trained nurses are employed con- 
tinually and six ether employes are constantly 
in the building, helping in various ways. Dr. 
Frank J. Weber is the house physician and 
Miss Catherine Weber is the superintendent. 

George T. Weber. M. D.. was born in In- 
graham, Clay county. Illinois. September 10, 
1 868, the son of Benedict and Regina ( Scha- 
fer) Weber, the former a native of Germany. 
who came to the United States when twenty- 
six years old, and the latter was born in Gib- 
son county, Indiana, of German parents. 
They were married in Indiana and in 1865 
settled in Jasper county, near Ingraham. His 
father was a carpenter and farmer. The sub- 
ject of this sketch was reared on a farm in 
his native township. He received a common 
school education there and an academic 
training at Princeton, Indiana, from which 
institution he graduated, having taught 
school in the meantime to get money for a 
higher education. His parents were poor 
and reared a large family, there being nine 
children in number, of whom our subject is 
the oldest son living. He entered Washing- 
ton University at St. Louis in 1891, taking a 
medical course and graduating in 1894. He 
located in his home town and practiced for 
four years, his success having been instanta- 
neous, especially in surgical cases. He came 
to Olney in 1898, having purchased a build- 
ing here and he had some equipment before 
moving. 

Dr. George T. Weber's domestic life began 
November 28, 1894, when he married Eliza- 
beth Hausner, daughter of Joseph and Ger- 
trude ( Nix ) Hausner, former residents of 



Clay county, a well known and influential 
family there for many years. Mr. Hausner, 
who was a cabinet maker, is deceased, as is 
also his wife. The subject and wife are the 
parents of nine children, namely: Gertrude, 
Helen. Pauline; George, Jr., was killed in an 
accident by colliding with a horse and buggy 
in 1907, having been knocked from a wheel 
and receiving a fracture to the skull: Ber- 
nard, Elizabeth. Alary. Martha, George, sec- 
ond junior. 

In politics our subject is a Democrat, but 
is not active. However, he takes an interest 
in whatever relates to the development of 
his community. Fraternally he is a member 
of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks 
and the Knights of Columbus. He and his 
family are faithful followers of the Catholic 
church. He is a member of the American 
Medical Association, the Illinois State Medi- 
cal Society, the Southern Illinois State Medi- 
cal Society, the Richland County Medical 
Society, being influential and prominent in 
all. He is a very progressive man. is a stu- 
dent at all times and devotes his entire time to 
his profession. In 1907 he took a post-gradu- 
ate course at the Post-Graduate School in 
Chicago, giving special attention to surgery. 

Joseph Cornelius Weber, M. D.. was born 
in Jasper county, Illinois, October 1, 1875, 
and was reared on the farm, receiving his ed- 
ucation in the public schools, the high school 
at Ingraham and Austin College, Effingham, 
Illinois. In the fall of 1896 he entered the 
Missouri Medical College at St. Louis, from 
which he graduated in 1899. He ranked 
high in his class and was successful from the 



i ;_• 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCEN1 HISTORY 01 



first. He practiced one year at Newton in the 
place of Doctor Crawley, whose health was 
impaired. During the following seven yeai 

he was at ( lay ( it\ , i I. r, o luntj . I [e then 
came to < llney and j lined his brother in the 
fall of 1907, becoming a stockholder in the 
Sanitarium ci \}> iration, as already intimated. 

I he marncd life of I >r. Joseph ( '.. Weber 
began in [900 when he was united in the 
In 'iids of matrimi >m with Zula Kepp, a nam e 
1 if tngraham, Illinois, the daughter of (. )orne- 
lius and Mary i Pew ) Kepp, natives of Cla) 
county, the fi rmer having died there in [906 
Two children have blessed the home of Dr. 
and Mrs. J. C. Weber, Paul and Frank. In 
politics he is a Democrat, and a member of 
the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, 
also a member of the American Medical As- 
sociation, the Illinois State Medical Associa- 
tion, the Southern Illinois Medical Associa- 
te m, the Richland and Clay county Medical 
si icieties. 

Frank J. Weber, M. I)., was horn on a 
farm in Jasper county, Illinois. July 23, 1N7N, 
where he was reared. I le attended the com- 
mon schools at tngraham, also Austin Col- 
lege at Effingham. He entered Washington 
University at St. Louis in 1900, having grad- 
uated with honor from the medical depart- 
ment in 11)04. lie located in (.'lay Citj ami 
was there engaged in practice with Ins broth- 
er, Dr. J. ( '. Weber, for seven months, after 
which he came to < Uney and purchased Doc- 
tor Ziliak's interesl in the sanitarium and 
joined his brother, Dr. < re< irgeT.,in the work. 
\\ hen the corpi iratii m w as formed he became 
the secretary and treasurer, as already stated, 



and the resident physician, lie is a member 
of the Richland County Medical Society, the 
Illinois State Medical Society and the Amer- 
ican Medical Association, lie was united in 
marriage, May _•>). [908, t 1 Gertrude Loftin, 
a native of Spencer, Indiana, and the daugh- 
ter of J. ( '. and h >la 1 Hoi wer ) I .' iftin, m iw 
residents of Marion. Indiana. Dr. Frank J. 
Weber is a member of the Benevolent and 
Protective Order of Elks, No, 926, and in 
politics he is a Democrat. Like his brothers 
he is a man of many commendable character- 
istics and thev all make friends easih . 



GEORGE S. RAINEY, M. D. 

Good intellectual training, thorough pro- 
fessional knowledge and the possession and 
utilization of the qualities and attributes es- 
sential to success, have made the subject of 
this review eminent in his chosen calling, 
and he stands today among the enterprising 
and successful physicians in a community 
noted for its high order of medical talent, 
while at the same time he has warn the con- 
fidence and esteem of the people of Marion 
and adjoining counties for his Upright life 
and genial disposition. 

Dr. George S. Rainey was horn in Salem, 
Illinois. May [8, iSpi. and lie is the 
sou of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Rainey, 
Scotch-Irish people of the best ancestry as 
far hack as it can he traced. The father was 
a KentiK'kian. who came to Illinois as early 
as [832, settling in Marion count)- on a farm 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



153 



which he transformed from a practically 
wild tract to a highly improved and produc- 
tive farm. When the doctor was two years 
old, his father moved on a farm near Wal- 
nut Hill, Marion county. He was a man of 
many sterling qualities, like those of most 
pioneers, and he became a man of consider- 
able influence in this county, being known 
as an honest and worthy citizen in every 
respect. He was called from his earthly 
labors in 1868. The subject's mother, a 
woman of praiseworthy character, was 
known in her maidenhood as Margaret 
Cunningham, and was also a native of Ken- 
tucky ; her father, a man of unusual forti- 
tude and sterling character, moved to Illi- 
nois in 1824. Seven children of Mr. and 
Mrs. Robert Rainey died in infancy. Their 
other children are: Dr. J. K. Rainey, the 
oldest child, died in Florida; Matthew was 
a surgeon in the One Hundred and Eleventh 
Illinois Volunteer Infantry in the Union 
Army, and was the first soldier from Marion 
county to fall in the Civil war, having lost 
his life at the battle of Bellmont while a 
member of the Twenty-second Illinois Vol- 
unteer Infantry ; Dr. A. H. Rainey, of Cen- 
tralia, Illinois. 

Our subject was a mere lad during the 
war between the states, but he felt it his 
duty to sever home ties and offer his services 
in defense of the flag, consequently he en- 
listed in the Thirty-ninth Illinois Volunteer 
Infantry when he lacked two months of 
being sixteen years old, but his bravery and 
gallantry were equal to that of the oldest 
veteran in the regiment. He served in the 



campaign around Petersburg, Richmond, 
and was at the surrender of Lee at Appa- 
mattox, thus being in some of the blooi 
engagements of the war. After receiving 
an honorable discharge he returned home 
and assisted his father with the farm work, 
attending the neighboring schools, complet- 
ing the high school course at Salem, stand- 
ing in the front rank of his class, for he 
was a diligent student and made the best use 
possible of his time. Believing that his tal- 
ents lay along medical lines he began study- 
ing for a career as a physician. He 
graduated in medicine in 1875 at the Louis- 
ville Medical College. He at once began 
practice in Salem, his success being instan- 
taneous, and he has been here ever since, 
having always had a very large practice in 
this vicinity and throughout the county. 

Dr. Rainey has taken a post-graduate 
course in the New York Polyclinic Institute 
of Physicians and Surgeons, having spent 
the winter of 1888 in the school just men- 
tioned. Dr. Rainey has also taken special 
courses in medical colleges in St. Louis and 
Chicago, consequently he is today and has 
been for many years at the head of his pro- 
fession, being so recognized by the eminent 
practitioners of medicine in other parts of 
Illinois. He has also been connected with 
the Baltimore & Ohio and Chicago & East- 
ern Illinois railroads as surgeon ever since 
he has been in practice. 

The subject has been a member of the 
United States Pension Board of Salem for 
twenty-five years. The doctor is at all 
times patriotic and ever ready to serve his 



'54 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



countryj consequently when the war with 
Spain broke out he offered his services and 
was commissioned a surgeon in the United 
States army, but the war terminated before 
he saw active service. 

Doctor Rainey's happy and tranquil do- 
me-tic life dates from 1878. when he was 
married to May McMackin, the cultured 
and accomplished daughter of Col. \Y. 
E. .McMackin of the Twenty-first Illinois 
Volunteer Infantry. Colonel McMackin 
was for many years one of the best known 
and most influential men in his community. 

I 1 1 doctor and Mrs. Rainey one son has 
been born, Warren R., who, in 1908, is a 
student in the medical department of the 
Northwestern University at Chicago, where 
he is making an excellent record. 

Doctor Rainey is the owner of a large and 
fine fruit farm which is very valuable, and 
he takes a great interest in it and horticul- 
tural subjects, devoting considerable time 
to the culture of fine fruits. He has been in 
general practice ever since his graduation, 
and as indicated above, not only stands high 
in his immediate community but also with 
his fellow practitioners at large, being a 
member of the County, State and National 
Medical Association, also of the American 
Railway Surgeons of America. 

Fraternally he is a loyal member of the 
Masonic Order and carries out its sublime 
doctrines in his relations with his fellow 
men. He is a Presbyterian in his religious 
faith, and in politics he is a stanch advocate 

the principles and policies of the Repub- 
lican party, with which he has always been 



affiliated. Though never animated with 
ambition for political preferment he has ever 
lent his aid in furthering the party cause, 
and is well fortified in his political convic- 
tions, while he is at all times public-spirited 
to an extent of loyalty. 



EDMUND C. BAUGHMAN. 

Vgriculture has been the true source of 
man's dominion on earth ever since the pri- 
mal existence of labor, and has been the piv- 
otal industry that has controlled for the 
most part all the fields of action to which his 
intelligence and energy have been devoted. 
Among this sturdy element of Richland 
county whose labors have profited alike 
themselves and the community in which 
they live, is the gentleman whose name ap- 
pears at the head of this sketch. 

Edmund C. Baughman, a well known 
farmer and stockman of Olney. was born in 
Coshocton county. Ohio. December 2~ . 
1837. the son of Jacob and Matilda M. 
(Houser) Baughman, the former having 
been born near Baltimore. Maryland, and 
the latter on the Potomac river, Virginia. 
Grandfather Baughman was a native of 
Maryland and was a contractor in Balti- 
more for many years, where he also carried 
an extensive factory for those times in the 
manufacture of sash and doors, blinds, etc. 
In an early day in the history of Coshocton 
county he went there and entered land, hav- 
ing crossed the Alleghany mountains on 



RICHLAND. CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



155 



horseback, and had bear meat and wild 
honey on the trip. However, he did not live 
in Ohio but died in Baltimore, where his 
wife also died. Jacob Baughman was reared 
on a farm near Baltimore, and when young 
went to Coshocton county, Ohio, where he 
bought land and erected a hewn log cabin 
in the heavy timber, in which there was all 
kinds of wild game, deer, wild turkey, bear, 
etc. He married in Coshocton count)-, his 
wife having come to the county from Vir- 
ginia with her parents who were pioneers. 
They cleared and improved the land, and 
there they lived and died. He was a mem- 
ber of the state militia but was never called 
upon to serve in any war. He died of pneu- 
monia at the age of sixty-eight years, and 
his wife survived for several years, dying at 
the advanced age of ninety-two. Eight 
children were born to them, six of whom 
are living. Two sons served in the Civil 
war, George and Zenos. the latter with 
Sherman's army, both serving until the close 
of the war, receiving honorable discharges. 
Zenos suffered from sunstroke from which 
he never fully recovered. The subject, who 
was the fourth child in order of birth, was 
reared on the old homestead in his native 
county and received a good education, first 
in the country schools, later at the academy 
in West Bedford, Ohio. He remained at 
home until he was twenty years old, assist- 
ing with the farm work, finally going to In- 
diana, where he taught school for awhile, 
but in the spring of i860 he came to Rich- 
land county, bringing all the earthlv pos- 
sessions he had — a team, wagon, a shepherd 



dog. a trunk and less than one hundred dol- 
lars in money, having driven the entire dis- 
tance. After reaching here he located on 
1 me hundred and twenty acres of land given 
him by his father in Madison township, 
which had previously been entered by his 
father, on which he went to work and im- 
proved it, making an excellent farm, build- 
ing a house, barn, etc. 

Our subject was a good manager and was. 
successful. After he married he purchased 
six hundred acres in Wayne county, on 
which he lived for a time, later moving to 
Olney, where he has recently built a beauti- 
ful home, up-to-date in even,' detail. For 
many years he has been extensively engaged 
in stock raising, being an excellent judge of 
stock and always keeping many good varie- 
ties. He is a man of great energy and a 
hard worker, possessing excellent judgment, 
conservative in his business transactions. He 
deserves a great deal of credit for what he 
has accomplished, for he started with only 
one hundred and twenty acres of raw land 
and has gradually increased his holdings 
until he now owns four thousand acres of 
valuable land in the Yazoo Valley, Missis- 
sippi, also three thousand acres of timber 
land, together with lands in Texas and the 
old homestead in Ohio, which he bought 
from the heirs. 

In 1890 Mr. Baughman organized the 
bank at Tuscola, Illinois, under the name 
Baughman, Orr & Company, with a capital 
stock of thirty-five thousand dollars, which 
was successful from the first, and has con- 
tinued with increasing prestige ever since. 



i 5 6 



B RAPHICAL AND REMINISCEN1 HISTORY in 



the stock having been increased, it being one 
of the soundesl institutions in this part of 
the state. ' >ne of the subject's sons is look- 
ing after his interests, tn [902 he disposed 
of his interest in the hank to his partners. 
Mr. Baughman is still very active but does 
not handle stock on a verj extensive scale at 
present, which proved to In.- so profitable 
during his earlier business career, making a 
fortune, being easily the richest man in 
Richland county, and not a dishonest dollar 
has passed thn >ugh his hands. 

Mr. Baughman was married March 28, 
[861, to Gabriella Reeder, who was born in 
Cincinnati, the daughter of Elijah and Lu- 
cinda ( Smith) Reeder, who were horn near 
Dayton, Ohio, and who came to Richland 
county in the fall of [853, settling on a farm 
in Madison township. In 1871 they moved 
to Kansas, later to Missouri, and died in 
I [arrison, Arkansas. 

Our subject and wife are the parent- of 
eight children who grev\ to maturity and are 
still living, as follows: Edmund J. resides 
in Duncan, Mississippi, where lie owns a 
plantation and .also manages that of his 
father, and is a very successful business 
man: Lucinda married James Wilson, who 
resides on a farm in Wayne county, where 
she died in [900; Lottie married J. M. Wi- 
nans, a groceryman of Olney; Harry C. re- 
sides in Greenville. Mississippi, where he 
owns and operates an extensive plantation; 
William R. resides in Southwestern Texas, 
hem- engaged in farming and the land busi- 
ness; Ola married George 11. Bainum, who 
died in Independence. Missouri, in 1004. 



leaving one daughter, Ella M.. who lives 
with the subject ami wife: Frank graduated 
from the Olney schools in 1901, then spent 
three years at the University of Illinois, at 
Champaign, having stood at the head of his 
class in chemistry and making an excellent 
record a- a student. During certain expen 
mental work he was poisoned by gases from 
which he died in February, [907. Carl R., 
the subject's youngest child, resides at Rich- 
land, Washington, where he is engaged in 
the fruit industry. These children are in- 
dustrious and well situated in reference to 
this world's affairs. 

Mr. Baughman is a Republican, but he is 
not a politician, not having time to devote 
much attention to the affairs of his party. 

lie was appointed by Governor John P. 
Mtgeld one of the trustees of the State Nor- 
mal University at Carbondale, having been 
on the financial and building committees. He 
served as Supervisor of Richland county for 
one term, during which time bonds were re- 
funded to the amount of two hundred thou- 
sand dollars, which redeemed the bonds over 
which there had been litigaton to the amount 
of more than three hundred thousand dol- 
lars. 

Mr. and Mrs. Baughman are members of 
the Methodist Episcopal church at Olney, 
and liberal subscribers to the same. Mr. 
Baughman having been one of the principal 
supporters of the new church building recent- 
ly erected, which would he a credit to cities 
much larger than Olney. 

In Inisiness matters Mr. Baughman is 
prompt, energetic, trustworthy. He has a 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



157 



good fund of that quality too often lacking 
in the business world — common sense. 
Since starting out in life for himself he has 
been self-reliant and progressive. It is all 
attributable to the splendid qualities of head 
and heart of which he is possessed, and 
which he has most judiciously exercised. 
And because of his honest and active career 
no resident in Richland county is more de- 
serving of honorable mention in this vol- 
ume. 



WILLIAM JASPER YOUNG. 

The subject of this biographical review 
is among the pioneer farmers of Iuka town- 
ship, Marion county, where he has long 
maintained his home, being- one of the na- 
tive sons of the county who have done so 
much to develop Marion in all her phases 
until she ranks with the leading counties 
of the great Prairie state, and now in the 
golden evening of his life this venerable 
citizen is enjoying the fruits of a well spent 
life and the esteem of a wide circle of 
friends. 

William Jasper Young was bom in Mar- 
ion county, Illinois, June 21, 1826. in Cen- 
tralia township, the son of Edward and 
Sarah C. (Duncan) Young, the former a 
native of Virginia and the latter of Ten- 
nessee. Edward Young grew up in Vir- 
ginia, and when he readied maturity he 
nil ived to Kentucky, later came to Indiana 
and prior to 1826 settled in Marion county, 
Illinois. He was a plasterer and bricklayer. 



and he made his home in several different 
places after coming to Illinois, among them 
being Alton, St. Louis, Belleville, Centralia 
and Salem. Later in life he settled on the 
farm. Edward Young was born June 8, 
1803, and died June 9, 1876. He was a sol- 
dier in the Black Hawk war. He was. 
early in life, a Democrat, and he cut down 
the first Whig pole ever erected in Salem. 
However, he later became a Republican. 
These children were born to Edward Young 
and wife, as follows: Lysander Franklin, 
William Jasper, our subject; Julia Ann, de- 
ceased ; Letta Jane, deceased ; James, de- 
ceased ; Harriet, deceased ; Edward, living 
in Minnesota ; Sarah also lives in Minnesota. 

Sarah C. Duncan, mother of the subject, 
was bom July 22, 1808. and died November 
9. 1886. She was a woman of many beau- 
tiful traits of character. 

The subject of this sketch worked on his 
father's farm from the time he was old 
enough to work, and he has followed farm- 
ing- all his life. In 1852 he came to his 
present farm in Iuka township, Marion 
county, having bought a part of it from the 
government or state. At that time the for- 
ests abounded in much wild game, such as 
deer, wolves, wild turkey. He has seen 
many a herd of deer from his cabin door. 
He cleared up the land and now has a model 
farm and modem farm buildings, all well 
kept, and his home is nicely and comfort- 
ably furnished. A glance over his well 
tilled and well fenced fields is sufficient to 
show that he is a man of thrift and rare 
soundness of judgment. He has in all about 



1 58 BIOGRAPHICA] \\i> REMINISCEN1 HISTORY 01 

three hundred acres, bul he now rents oul dreri I !<■ and his good wife are now both 
the land and is practicall) retired, He han more than eight} years old and are remark 

<lK-s tock of various variel ably bright and active people for their y< 

Vpril 13, [847, Mr, Young was united and considering the long years of hard work 
in marriage with Sarah J. Songer, who was they both have done. Their happy, pro 
born in Washington county, Indiana, \n perous and harmonious wedded life extends 

t 7, 1828, the daughter oi Fredericl and over si t; yeai of time and the) ha 

fane (Helm) Songer, native oi Virginia, brated their golden wedding anniversary, 

but the) came t" Washington county, In The) are among the highl) re pected and 

diana, when young and married there, and prominent citizens of the count) and greatl) 

in [828 came to < la) county, Illinois, where admired and beloved by everyone who 

the) lived foi a time, In [835 the) came knows them. Our subject is a loyal Demo 

to Marion county, settling in Omega town- crat, Mi' and his wife are membei ol the 

ship, where the) farmed and where the) Methodist Episcopal church at tuka. They 

died. They were members of tin- Metho- have always contributed liberall) to church 

Episcopal church, wi rk, also have helped out school work and 

1 leven children have been bom to the all kinds of public enterprises. Fraternally 

ubjecl .mil win. namely: Amanda Elmira Mr. Young has belonged to the Masons 

died in . hildh I : Marcus I ' mai 1 ied since 1863. 

Sarah Bobbett and the) have two children, Mr. Young was one of the brave and 

Franklin and Ada; Mary I''., is the wife of patriotic supporters of the Union who of 

of Salem, Illinois; Emil) El fered his services and his life in its 

viiia is the wife "i' William Robinson, < defense during the War of the Re 

m,, living in tuka township, and she is hellion, having enlisted in Company 
the mother of two children, Ernest Roy and E, One Hundred and Eleventh mi- 
ll, 1; Eliza Alice, deceased, was the wife of nois Volunteer [nfantry, Vugust 8, [81 
Pern Cox ami she left two children, \\ 1 1 and erved in a most gallant manner until 
ham faspei and Georg l< inie is the wife the close of the war. He was mustered in 
of Grant Bumgarner, who lives in Texas; at Salem, Illinois, and mustered out in 
Dougla married frena Buffington and they Washington, Districl of Columbia, and di 

children, Charles and Ruth; Paul charged at Springfield, Illinois, lie was in 

married Martha I riffield; Fred married the Second Brigade, Second Division, Fif- 

id the} have three children, teenth Vrm) Corps, under General John \ 

Pearl, Winafred and Verl; the tenth and Logan. He first did post duty at Columbus, 

eleventh children oi thi ubject dud un Ohio, awhile, and then, in 1864, joined 

named Sherman in Ins campaign about Atlanta, 

1 in, subject has three -reat grandchil and was in the first battle of Resaca and in 



RI( III. ami, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 






the last battle of Shiloh. He also fought at 
Dallas, Kenesaw Mountain and Atlanta: in 
Fact, he was in all the fighting around At- 
lanta. The last hard fight he was in wa ■ <' 
Atlanta, Georgia. He was taken prisoner 

in front of Atlanta July 22, 1864, and aftei 
being transferred to various prisons in the 
South for a period of seven months, was 
finally paroled and later exchanged at Wil- 
mington, North Carolina. 

Air. Young has always been a man of in- 
dustry and he has honestl} made what he 

has, having been a hard worker and ; I 

manager. He has led a life of which m 
might be ashamed in any way, for it has 

been one of sobriety and filled with j ! 

deed-. 



Hiram ORR 



Xow that the summertime of life has 
ended and the autumn winds of old age 

l.. in' th( ubjei 1 "i tin ■ re i< 

look backward over a career thai has been 
well s]K-nt, resulting in good to those whom 
it touched and ha- broughl comforl to him- 
self. 

Hiram Orr was horn in Licking count}-. 
Ohio, December 10, [828, tin- son of Zach- 
ariah and Mary (Dusthimer) Orr, early 
settlers of the Buckeye state, where it is 
snpposed they were bom. Zachariah 
farmer, a Democrat, and a member of the 
Baptist church. He passed away in Lick- 
ing county, Ohio, in 1891, his wife having 
died there at an earlier date. Six children 



wen- born to them, namel) : Robet t, 1 
in Licking county, Ohio; Hiram, our sub- 
ject; Sarah. d< [; John, who is living 

in Kansas, a retired farmer: ( yru . de 

d : Eliza, also de. ea >ed Zach 

married a second time. When he died 
he had accumulated quite a 1 impetencj . 
having been a ver, ucce ml farmer. 

f )ur subjei 1 r< mained at his parental 
home, assisting with the work aboul 
plai 1 and attending the old pio ■ 
in cabin with puni heon floors and eat 
and window- where greased paper wa 
for panes, until he wa years 

old. i h- has since added ven mu< h to the 
rudiments of education he gained there by 

1 home reading and 
Ho<- observation. When of age Mr. Orr 
decided to devote his life work to farming 
and consequently bougb.1 a farm in In 
tive count) . ha g managed it in a 
successful manner until October 1, [868, 
w lien he moved to Map. in i ounty, III 
ing that still greater ad rantagi 
isted here on the less crowaled wi 
prairie-, than in ih'- I id where land 

much cheaper, having sold hi- Ohio 
farm at good figure , 

Mr. Orr purchased two hundred and sev- 
enty-four acres "i" land in Stevenson town- 
ship on which he continuously lived, briny 
up to a higl i 1' improvement, in 

making it one of the "show" fan 
this locality, the field- being well fi 
and well drained and kepi in fir-t « ! > pr< 
ductive condition through the careful rota- 
tion of crop- and the application of home- 



I ho BIOUKAPH1CAI VNI) REMINISCEN1 HISTORY OF 

, rs, and on this place maj always be taken a verj active pari in public affairs 

found large numbers of .ill kinds oi live Heabl) filled the position of School Director 

stock of the besl grade, Mi On having and Ins support is always to be depended 

evei taken .1 great interest in stock oi vari upon in an} issue having foi its object 

ous kinds. \ modern, substantial and nice the bettermenl of the community in any 

lv furnished residence is owned b) Mi On way, I'he subjecl and wife are kind, hos 

and good bams and outbuildings in gen- pitable and good natured, making all who 

are found about the place, Mr, On at enter their home feel like the) were among 

present rents mosl of his land, bul still over friends, 
sees il keeping it up to the high standard 
of formei years 

In 1849 our subjecl was united in mai RICH \kl> J. HOLSTLAW. 

riage with Mar) BasOm, who was born in 

Perrj county, Ohio, about 1830, the Vmong the besl known and highl) re 

ghter of [oshua and Elizabeth Emery, spected families of Marion count) is found 

natives oi New England, fhree children the one bearing the name thai forms the 



'K 



were bom to this union, namely: Frances, caption of this article. Richard J. Holstlaw 

who i- the wife of Peter M. Mechling, a was born in this county on the 3d of Vpril, 

farmei living in Peirj county, Ohio rhey 1837, He still lives on the farm where he 

the parents of four children, namely: was born and during this span of life he has 

1 1 nam Orvil, Bertha, Frank and Fred, the witnessed mosl wonderful changes in the 

last two twins; Martha, the second child of progress and development of the country, 

our subject, is tin' wife of Marion Tolliver Mr. Holstlaw is descended from those 

Stevenson, who is living in Alma township, hardy pioneers that crossed the mountains 

Marion county, this state, ai he par- into Kentuckj and rennessee, blazing the 

ents of these children, Edgar, Mabel, Orin, way through the wilderness, opening up for 

Roy, Edna, Claud and Lloyd. Edith, the colonization and occupancy the rich hunting 

subject's third child, is the wife of John P grounds south of the Ohio. This tide of 

Brubaker, who is also living in Mma town immigrants gradually worked its waj 

ship, being the mother <>i two children, Ha westward and northward, crossing the Ohio 

zel and \da. into Indiana and Illinois and blending hero 

se children received all the home with the settlers coming from Pennsylvania, 

training possible and were given good edu- Mew York and Mew England. 

each being well situated in life, Our subject's father, Daniel S, Holstlaw. 

Mr. 1 staunch Democrat in his was born near Glasgow, Kentucky, in 1813, 

political affiliation, although he has never toward the close iii the second war with 




R. J. HOLSTLAW, 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



161 



England. The treaty at the conclusion of 
this war stimulated the westward movement 
and when Daniel was eight years old he 
came to Paoli, Indiana, with his parents. 
His mother, Ruth (Middleton) Holstlaw, 
a native of Tennessee, was the eleventh of 
fourteen children and came to Marion 
county, Illinois, in 1833. At the age of 
nineteen years, Daniel Holstlaw left the 
Hoosier state and immigrated to Marion 
county, Illinois. Here he entered a claim and 
also purchased some land, paying seven 
dollars per acre. At this time the country 
was still in its primitive state, and the six 
children, of whom our subject was the sec- 
ond, became quite familiar with early day 
methods of getting along. 

Among other things that Mr. Holstlaw 
relates are his school experiences. The ex- 
pense of paying for an instructor was met 
on the subscription plan, and all the neigh- 
bors joined in to obtain the privilege of a 
schooling for their children. Wild game of 
all kinds still abounded in the forests and 
furnished part of the food for the settlers. 
One morning Mr. Holstlaw counted thirty- 
seven deer — after a night when the prairie 
was on fire, when they could be seen clearly 
— to say nothing of other game, so abundant 
then, but so rarely seen now. When we re- 
flect over to the fact that such a span of 
years has witnessed so great a contrast be- 
tween the present conditions and those of 
that day, it seems almost a fiction. Yet one 
needs but to ponder over the wonderful 
changes of the last decade to convince him 
1 1 



that we are even now already in the shadow 
of what will come tomorrow. While now 
the traction engine pulls the series of break- 
ing plows rapidly through the sod, Mr. 
Holstlaw recalls the time when he followed 
the four yoke of patient oxen that com- 
posedly drew through the virgin soil the 
hand-made plow of hickory wood. Today 
the hay-loader puts the sweet-scented prod- 
uct of the meadow on the wagon and at the 
driver's feet, while then the dogwood fork, 
whittled by hand, was the only tool avail- 
able. Fur and hides were hauled to St. 
Louis, seventy-five miles away, and court 
was held in a log structure at the county 
seat of Salem. 

We shall now turn our attention to the 
domestic relations of our subject. In 1863 
he was joined in marriage to Mary (Gag- 
ger) Barry. This union, though happy, was 
destined to be brief, for ere long the young 
wife was called hence, followed soon after 
by her infant child. On July 18, 1869, 
Mr. Holstlaw took as his second wife Ra- 
chel Barry, this union resulting in the birth 
of the following children: Erfie I., who 
became the wife of Louis Barksdale; the 
son is Forrest D., the second daughter of the 
family, Carrie A., has become the wife of 
Walter K. Shook. 

In his political affiliations Mr. Holstlaw 
has adhered to the Democratic party, and 
he is a devoted member of the Cumberland 
Presbyterian church. He and his wife are 
well known in the entire community as ex- 
emplary and worthy citizens. 



M._ 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



HENRY SPRING. 

This biographical memoir has to do with 
a character of unusual force and eminence, 
for Henry Spring, whose life chapter has 
been closed by the fate that awaits us all. 
was for a long lapse- of years one of the 
prominent citizens of Richland county, hav- 
ing come to this section in pioneer times, 
ami he assisted in every way possible in 
bringing about the transformation of the 
county from the wild condition found by the 
first settlers t,, it-, later day progress and 
improvement. While he carried on a special 
line of business in such a manner as to gain 
a comfortable competence for himself, he 
belonged to that class of representative 
citizens who promote the public welfare 
while advancing individual success. There 
were in him sterling traits which com- 
manded uniform confidence and regard, and 
his memory is today honored by all who 
knew him. and is enshrined in the hearts ol 
his many friends. 

Henry Spring was horn near Sheffield. 
England, December 2, [806, the son of 
Thomas and Margaret (Bishop) Spring, 
als. of England. Thomas Spring 

was a professional landscape gardener, lie 
was the father of five sons, namely: Sidney, 
Archibald, Henry, John ami George. The 
family emigrated t" America in [819, the 
father dying in Pennsylvania on the ovi 
land trip to Illinois. The mother and chil- 
dren located on a farm in Edwards county, 
near Albion, this state. Henry and John 
remained on the farm during the lifetime 



of their mother. Henry Spring, our sub 
ject, was thirteen years "Id when he came 

1" I lliii' 'is, and where he received most of 
his education in the subscription schools. 
How e\ er, he began hiseducatii m in England. 
The mother was highly educated and taught 
at home. Henry was in business a short 
time near Hvansville. Indiana, later return- 
ing to Edwards county, where he married 
in January. [842. lie came to ( )lnev and 
was the second merchant to engage in busi- 
ncss. [lis store was located in a small room 
belonging to T. W. Lilley, being a part 1 1 his 
residence, lie was a typical pioneer and had 
a country stock of o,„ Pl ls which he bought 
on credit, which proved to he the foundation 
of a later fortune. In the fall of [842 he 
built a frame building at the corner of Main 
and Fair streets, with living rooms in the 
rear. About [855 he s, ,1,1 out to If 1\ 

Bower, fn [856 he built a brick building at 
the southwest corner of Main and Boone 
streets, and about [859 again engaged in 
the merchandise business. The ground on 
which the building stands was bought from 
the government by T. W. Lilley, transferred 
to John Allen and then to the subject of this 
sketch, and is still owned by his family. In 

[848 he built a two-story frame building Eor 
a residence at the southeast comer of Main 

and fair streets, which was very pretentious 
For those days. In [866 he retired from the 
mercantile hiisiness ami in the store build- 
ing now owned by his s, >ns, plans for the 
organization of the First National Bank 
were consummated in December. iS'15. he 
being one of the instigators and tin- leading 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



163 



spirit in the enterprise, and Mr. Spring was 
made its first president, which position he 
held with great credit to his ability for a pe- 
riod of twenty years, with the exception of 
one year. In the same store room in 1883 
plans were formulated for the organization 
of the Olney National Bank, and our sub- 
ject having severed his connection with the 
First National Bank, became president and 
principal stockholder of the new bank, re- 
maining at the head of the same for six 
years. He became known as a man of the 
strictest integrity, his word being as good 
as his bond, and those dealing with him 
were required as much. His life was de- 
voted to his family, for he avoided society. 
not caring tor any public display, and he be- 
longed to no secret orders and was affiliated 
with no church, neither had he any political 
aspirations except to vote the Republican 
ticket, having originally been a Whig. He 
was a very successful business man. being 
conservative, careful and exercised various 
English traits of character, and he accumu- 
lated an honest fortune. He was a patriotic 
man and served in the Black Hawk war. 

After a long, honorable and successful 
career. Henry Spring was called from his 
labors August 20. 1890. being nearly 
eighty-four years old, having been active 
and in possession of all his faculties up to 
within a few years prior to his death. He 
was a man of great strength and vitality in 
his prime. 

Henry Spring was united in mariage De- 
cember 31. 1841, to Caroline Russell 
Mount, a native of Nantuckett Island, the 



daughter of Freeman Marshall and Man 
Ann (Russell) Mount, natives of Massa- 
chusetts. 

Twelve children were born to the subject 
and wife, four of whom died in infancy. 
The eight living children are as follows : 
Mary, who was the first white child born in 
what is now the town of Olney. having been 
born November 22, 1842; she married 
Thomas \\ . Scott, who was in partnership 
with her father in 1865. He is now Attor- 
ney General of Illinois. Florence is the 
second living child, and is the wife of John 
H. Senseman. cashier of the Olney bank: 
Edward M.. is a business man in Olney; 
Caroline M. is living at home; Elizabeth is 
the wife of Medford Powell, of Olney: 
Laura is a member of the family circle: 
Harry B. is in business in Olney : Kate L. 
is the wife of Doctor Watkins, of Olney. 

Mrs. Spring, a woman of gracious per- 
sonality, survived her husband until June 
20. 1904, when she passed to her rest, being 
past eighty-three years of age. 

Edward M. Spring, son of our subject, 
was horn in Olney, Illinois. July 30. 1852. 
being reared in Olnev, where he received 
his education in the public schools. He also 
attended Asbury College, now DePauw 
University, but he did not graduate from 
that institution, however, he made a splen- 
did record for scholarship. When eighteen 
years of age he went to Kansas, where he 
spent two years. In 1872 he engaged in the 
seed and produce business, and has success- 
full v continued in the same ever since, be- 
ing in the store room formerly built and oc- 



|( '4 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



cupied by his father. James G. Hollister 
was his partner for sixteen years, and in 
[888 the firm became Spring Brothers, 
which is still the name of the firm. A very 
large business has been built up and a good 
trade is carried on throughout this locality. 
Edward M. Spring was united in mar- 
riage December 25, [873, to Kate Radens- 
croft, a native of New Albany, Indiana, the 
daughter of William E. and Anna C. (Jack- 
son) Radenscroft, formerly of England, 
who came to Philadelphia. The father of 
the subject's wife was formerly a Methodist 
minister. Both are now deceased. Two 
children have been hum to Mr. and Mrs. 
Edward Spring: Lawrence E., who lives 
in Owensboro, Kentucky, in the milling 
business; Ethel is living at home. She was 
educated at Olney and in [ndianapolis, and 
received a musical education in Cincinnati 
and Chicago, becoming a proficient musi- 
cian. She is at this writing- (1909) super- 
visor of music in the public schools ,,f Ol- 
ney. Mr. Spring is a Republican hut not a 
politician. Tie served one term as \lder- 
man. He is a member of the Benevolent 
and Protective Ordi E Elks, the Modem 
Woodmen and the Knights of Pythias. He 
has a beautiful home and there is a large 
oak tree in his yard under which John A. 
an made his first speech in behalf of the 
Republican part) October 12. r866, as a 
candidate for Congressman at large. \t 
that time the place of residence of the sub- 
ject was a part of the splendid grove adjoin- 
ing the village of Olney. where picnics and 
rallies were held. 



Harry Bishop Spring, son of Henry 
Spring, our subject, was horn in Olney, Il- 
linois, where he was reared and where he 
received his education in the public schools. 

He was also a student of the University of 
Illinois at Champaign. He obtained a good 

education, .and after leaving school spent six 
or seven years in the South ami West, being 
on the coast for some tune. After return- 
ing to ( )Iney he engaged in the seed and pro- 
duce business in [888, with his brother, un- 
der the firm name of Spring Brothers. 

Harry B. Spring was united in marriage 
June 17. [890, to Victoria Eckenrode, a na- 
tive of Sumner. Illinois, the daughter of 
Sylvester J. and Mary Eckenrode, a former 
business man of ( llney. ( )ne daughter was 
horn, a winsome little girl named Marjorie. 
Mrs. Spring was called to her rest January 
4. [905. Ilarr\ Spring is a Republican in 
politics, and is a member of the Benevolent 
and Protective Order 1 >f I 

The family of our subject has long been 
recognized as leaders in industrial affairs in 
Richland county, being people of the high- 
est integrity and worth, for when Henry 
Spring passed away he left his family tin 
priceless heritage of an untarnished name, 
io the county the value of good citizenship. 
and to the young an example well worthy of 
emulation. Public opinion in passing judg 
ment upon his life work, classed him with 
the men of honor and worth, and with the 
pioneers of Richland county his name is for- 
ever inscribed, shinging out with peculiar 
luster. 



RICHLAXI), CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



[6 5 



JUDGE JOHN S. STONECIPHER. 

No history of Marion county could be 
consistent with itself were there failure to 
make specific mention of the honored pio- 
neer family of which the subject of this 
sketch is a worthy scion, and no better or 
more significant evidence as to the long 
identification of the name with the annals of 
this section of the state can be offered than 
implied in the simple statement that the rec- 
ord of this interesting and representative 
family has been one of highest honor for a 
period of sixty-five years to the time of this 
writing. The subject has passed his entire 
life in Marion county, and has ably upheld 
the high prestige of the honored name which 
he bears. He is one of the prominent and 
influential representatives of the legal and 
industrial world of the county, and it is with 
much satisfaction that we offer in this work 
a review of his genealogical and personal 
history. 

Judge John S. Stonecipher, like scores of 
our best citizens in every line of endeavor, 
was born on a farm, the old homestead be- 
ing located about ten miles southeast of 
Salem, his birth occurring on July 7, 1868. 
His father was Samuel Stonecipher, a Ten- 
nesseean who came to Marion county, Illi- 
nois, about 1843, having successfully fol- 
lowed agricultural pursuits and became a 
man of considerable influence in his com- 
munity. He here erected a primitive dwell- 
ing which was the family domicile for a 
number of years. The tales of the pioneer 
days have been often told, and it is needless 



to here recapitulate the same, for privations, 
vicissitudes and strenuous labors of the early 
settlers have been so recorded as to make 
special mention superfluous, though it is well 
in such connection to refer to those who 
lived and labored so earnestly in laying the 
foundation for the opulent prosperity which 
marks this favored section of the state at 
the present time. Samuel Stonecipher was 
called from his earthly labors in 1898, while 
living on a farm in Haines township, two 
and one-half miles east of old Foxville. The 
mother of our subject was Susan (Ross) 
Stonecipher, also a native of Tennessee who 
passed to her rest when Judge Stonecipher 
was one and one-half years old. Eight chil- 
dren were born to the union of Samuel and 
Susan Stonecipher, four of whom are living 
in 1908. These are, besides the subject of 
this sketch, Alexander, a farmer in Haines 
township, Marion county; Joseph C, a far- 
mer in southeastern Kansas; M. C, a Pres- 
byterian minister at Troy Grove, Illinois. 
Samuel Stonecipher, father of the subject, 
was three times married. His first wife was 
a Miss Henderson ; the second a Miss Ross, 
mother of the subject; and the third was 
Mary Chance, who died three months after 
her husband's death. 

Grandfather Stonecipher reached almost 
the unprecedented age of one hundred and 
ten years. He was reared in Knox county, 
Tennessee. 

Judge Stonecipher was reared on the 
parental farm, and after attending the 
country schools he entered Ewing College 
in Franklin county, Illinois, where he made 







BIOGRAPHIC \l Wii REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



a brilliant record for both scholarship and 
deportment, taking a two years' general 
course. He then attended the Southern Illi- 
nois Normal School for two years, and be- 
gan teaching school, which he continued for 
three successful terms, but believing that his 
true life work lay in another channel he be- 
gan reading law with Judge John B. Kagy, 
of Salem. After reading law for one year 
he attended the Valparaiso I "Diversity, law 
department, for one year, in which he made 
rapid progress. He was admitted to the 
bar at Salem in 1891 and began practice 
soon afterward. His success was instanta- 
neous, and his friends were not mistaken in 
their prediction that the future held many 
honors in store for him. He was early in 
life singled out for political preferment and 
served as Deputy Sheriff from 1889 to 1890, 
while reading law. He has ably served two 
terms as City Attorney of Salem, and was 
Master in Chancery for four years, from 
1896 to 1900, having first been appointed 
by Judge Burroughs, and later by Judge 
Dwight. In i<)<)() our subject had attained 
such general popularity in the legal world 
that he was elected Judge of Marion county 
on the Democratic ticket in which capacity 
he is still serving in 1908, with entire satis- 
faction to his constituents and all concerned. 
He was chairman of the Democratic County 
Central Committee at the time of his elec- 
tion to the judgeship. He was selected as 
alternate to the Democratic national conven- 
tion held in St. Louis in 1904. Having 
become so well known in the political arena 
of his native community the judge will 



doubtless be honored by many other offices 
of public trust by his party in the future. 

Judge Stonecipher has been equally suc- 
cessful in industrial affair-, being something 
of a wizard in organizing, promoting and 
carrying to successful issues various lines of 
business, and it is due to his clear brain, 
well grounded judgment and indomitable 
energy that many of Marion county's suc- 
cessful industrial institutions owe their ex- 
istence. At present he is vice-president of 
the Salem State Bank, president of the 
Salem Box Company, the leading manufac- 
turing enterprise of Salem; he is also trus- 
tee of the Sandoval Coal and Mining Com- 
pany, now bankrupt, a large and important 
trusteeship. He is also a stockholder in the 
Salem National Bank and a director of the 
Salem Building and Loan Association. He 
was chairman of the building committee that 
built the new Methodist Episcopal church 
in Salem, one of the finest in Illinois, and it 
was largely due to his energy and keen busi- 
ness sagacity that this handsome structure, 
which will ever he a monument to his mem- 
ory as well as a pride and splendid adver- 
tisement to the city of Salem, assumed 
definite form. 

Fraternally Judge Stonecipher is a mem- 
ber of the Independent Order of Odd Fel- 
lows, the Knights of Pythias and the 
Woodmen. He has occupied the chairs in 
the Odd Fellows, and his daily life would 
indicate that he believes in carrying out the 
noble precepts advocated by these praise- 
w< irthy orders. 

Judge Stonecipher's domestic life dates 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



167 



from August 17, 1904, when he was hap- 
pily married to Amy Bachman, the refined 
and cultured daughter of Mr. and Mrs. A. 
H. Bachman. the latter the well known and 
influential president of the Salem National 
Bank. Mrs. Stonecipher received a good 
education, having applied herself diligently 
to her educational work and the success of 
her worthy life companion is due in no small 
measure to the encouragement and sympa- 
thy of this most estimable woman, who pre- 
sides over her model and harmonious 
household with grace and dignity. 

Two bright and interesting children have 
blessed the home of Mr. and Mrs. Stone- 
cipher with cheer and sunshine. They are: 
Frank G., born July 8, 1905, and Maude 
Louise, born July 24, 1907. 

Judge Stonecipher has been very success- 
ful in both his business and political life. He 
is regarded as a man of exceptional sound- 
ness of judgment, and when his name is 
connected with any business institution the 
public knows that the same is sound and 
does not hesitate to place its funds at his 
disposal, whether it be in a banking institu- 
tion or manufacturing enterprise. 



HON. EDWARD S. WILSON. 

It will invariably be found, if an examina- 
tion be made into the life records of self- 
made men. that untiring industry forms the 
basis of their success. It is true that many 
other elements enter in, such as fortitude. 



perseverance, keen discernment and honesty 
of purpose which enables one to recognize 
business opportunities, but the foundation 
of all worthy achievements in earnest, per- 
sistent labor. The gentlemen whose name 
forms the caption of this article recognized 
this fact early in life and did not seek to 
gain any short or magical method to the gi >;il 
of prosperity. On the contrary, he began 
to work earnestly and diligently in order to 
advance himself along laudable lines and 
from a humble beginning he has become one 
1 if the prominent men of the great Prairie 
state. As a lawyer, Hon. Edward S. Wilson 
had few equals in Southern Illinois for up- 
wards of half a century. He was for years a 
leading member of the bar in Olney and is 1 me 
of the old and highly esteemed citizens of this 
place, now living in quiet retirement, enjoy- 
ing the respite due a long and strenuous ca- 
reer. Finding him in a retrospective and rem- 
iniscent mood we quote from an interview 
with this distinguished character as follows: 
"My grandfather, James Wilson, migrated 
fr< m Hardy count}-, Virginia, to South Bend, 
Indiana, in the year 1813, and the next year 
removed to Palestine, Crawford county, Illi- 
nois, bringing with him a numerous family 
of sons and daughters, among them my fa- 
ther, Isaac N. Wilson, who was born July 21, 
1804. On October 13, 1829, he married 
Hannah H. Decken, who was horn December 
13, 1810, at the town of Vincennes. Indiana. 
t< 1 which place her father moved from R< >m- 
ney, Virginia, in 1S0S or 1809, from whence 
he soon moved to a farm three miles north of 
Palestine. There were nine boys and two 



[68 



B RAPHICAL AND REMIN ISt'K.NT HISTORY ul 



daughters born to my father and mother, 
rhree of us still survive. I was born June 
_'5. [839. I was educated in the common 
schools of Palestine, and was always of a 
reading rather than of a studious disposi- 
tion. Any bo 'k of history or romance could 
attract my attention from mi ire -1 rii ius study. 
So my mind is a hotch potch of useless lum- 
I know a great amount of worthless 
things and nothing well. 

"I can distinctly remember the pioneer 
1 if lllin lis \\ hen the flax and o itton with 
which we were largely clothed were raised 
by the farmers of Crawford county, which 
were spun and woven by the mothers and 
daughters of the farmers who wen- entirely 
from the Southern States. Virginia, North 
and South Carolina, Kentucky and Tennes- 
see. The wheels of the wagons c insisted of 
sections sawn oft a log, usually a sycamore. 
< Ken were mi ire immi >n than hi n ses 

"The principal amusements in those days 
bear basting, horse racing, .and last, but 
no1 least, list righting. Residents of the 
county would gather at Palestine every Sat- 
urday and mosl of them would fill up on 
nld Monongahela whisky and liv noon the 
fighting would begin. 1 have seen sixty 
fights hi progress at one time. When the 
fight was over there was no malice nor de 
sire for revenge, and the victor was the best 
man until at a later date the fight could he 
repeated, if the conquered was ni it satisfied, 
when frequently the lutcome was revet 
I was eighteen years of age before I saw a 
railn iad or a train of cat - 

"When about eighteen years old I began 
the study "I" law in the 1 iffice 1 if James ( '. Al- 



len, of Palestine, then a member of Con- 
gress from the Tenth District from Hiiro 

I was admitted t 1 the bar in l86i, and com- 
menced the practice of law at Robinson, 
Crawford county, Illinois. In [864, I re- 
move tot Hney, Richland county, where I still 

ide. I practiced in the courts of this and 
adjoining counties until (890, at which time 
I was nominated by the Democratic part) for 
State I reasurer and was elected to that 
he. For many years my hearing had been 
defective and it grew worse, and after retir- 
ing from the office of State Treasurer I never 
resumed practice on account of mj hearing. 
Since that time I have lived the life of i 
farmer and man 1 if leisure, reading much, hut 
1 mly fur entertainment. I have pursued no 
settled line, hut have read everything from 
theology t 1 the flimsiesl romance, hut 1 have 
spent more time on history than an) 'the;' 
hue and would he a good historian if 1 had 
been a student instead of a mere reader. 

"( >n June 1 7. [867, I married Vm < , 
Rowland, daughter of Townsend and Eliza 
S. Rowland, of Olney, Illinois. To us have 
been horn four s, us. three living, and 
daughter, who died leaving one son. One 
so., died in infancy. My wife is still living, 
and divides with me the burden ' if reading all 
the latest w 1 irks. hist, irical and fictii in." 

Agriculture, horticulture anil stock raising 
have occupied Mr. Wilson's attention of 1 1 
years. He 1 >w ns abi tut 1 me thi lusand acres 
valuable land in Richland county, a part of 
which is devoted to the pr ipagation of fruit 
for commercial purposes. Part of the farm 
is in the city limits of Olney where he has a 
modern and commodious residence, sur- 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



169 



round 1>_v beautiful grounds, extensive and 
carefully kept. His home is one of the most 
pretentious in the county. Air. and Mrs. 
Wilson are widely known for their hospital- 
it)- and their home is often the gathering 
place for their numerous friends and admir- 
ers where good cheer is always to be found. 
For a number of years Mr. Wilson paid con- 
siderable attention to the breeding of Clydes- 
dale horses and Shetland ponies, and he pro- 
duced some fine specimens which were prize 
winners at state fairs. The subject was large- 
ly instrumental in securing the state fair for 
Olney for two years, 1887 and 1888. Mr. 
Wilson is the founder and principal stock- 
holder of the ice plant at Olney, where large 
quantities of artificial ice are manufactured. 
in connection with a cold storage, packing in- 
dustry, etc. 

Mr. Wilson has always been a staunch 
Democrat and active politically. He has al- 
ways been interested in whatever tended to 
promote the interests of his city and county. 
For twenty years he was Master in Chan- 
cery. Because of his public-spirit, his hon- 
esty of purpose, genuine worth and congenial 
disposition, no man is better or more favor 
ably known in Southern Illinois than he. 



J. E. CASTLE. 

Those who belong to the respectable mid- 
dle classes of society, being early taught the 
necessity of relying upon their own exer- 
tions, will be more apt to acquire that 
information and those business habits which 
alone can fit them for the discharge of life's 



duties, and, indeed, it has long been a no- 
ticeable fact that our great men in nearly 
all walks of life in America spring from 
this class. The subject of this sketch, whose 
life history we herewith delineate is a worthy 
representative of the class from which the 
true noblemen of the Republic spring. 

J. E. Castle was born in Gallipolis, Ohio, 
in 1845. the son of George W. Castle, also 
a native of the Buckeye state, where he was 
born in Zanesville in that conspicuous year 
in American history, 181 2. He came to 
Illinois with his family in 1861, settling at 
Salem. By profession he was a contractor 
and builder, but he was in the drug business 
while in Salem, and was also interested in 
fanning, however, he did some contracting 
here, and in all made a success, for he was 
a man of much business ability. While a 
resident of Ohio he was for some time a 
Justice of the Peace, having always taken 
considerable interest in political and public 
affairs. He was called from his earthly la- 
bors in 1872 after an active and useful life. 

George Washington Castle was the sub- 
ject's grandfather, of Irish ancestry. He 
was loyal to the American government and 
was a captain of a company in the War of 
1812, having met his death while gallantly 
leading a battalion of volunteers at Fort 
Erie in 1812, the same year the father of 
our subject was born, as already indicated. - 
The original Castle family is related to the 
Newtons, a prominent and influential family 
of Cincinnati, Ohio. Grandfather Castle's 
family consisted of three children, two sons 
and one daughter. 

The mother of our subject was known in 



17" 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCEN1 HISTORY OF 



her maidenh 1 as Eliza Bing, a native of 

• iallia o »unt) . < Ihio, her pei >ple being natives 
of the Buckeye state. She was a woman of 
many praiseworthy traits, and die was 
united in marriage with George W. Castle 
about 1832. She was railed to her rest in 
1858 while living at Gallipolis, Ohio. Six 
children constituted the family of this 
couple, of whom our subject is the only sur- 
vivor. The names of these children follow 
in cnler of their birth: Dr. W. II.. who 
died in St. Louis in 1882; Captain George 
E.. who died in Salem. Illinois, in 1887; 
M., who died at Tonti, Marion county, 
June 30, 1903; Dr. Charles E., who died at 
Great Bend, Kansas, in 1897; John E. died 
at Gallipolis, Ohio, in 1859, when eight 
years old; J. E., our subject, was the fourth 
in order of birth. 

J. E. Castle spent his boyhood in Gal- 
lipolis, Ohio, where he attended the public 
schools and received in part a good educa- 
tion, for he was always an ambitious lad and 
applied himself in a commendable manner to 
his text-books. He came to Salem, Illinois, 
in 1861, and in the spring of 1862, immedi- 
ately after the hattle of Shiloh, he enlisted 
in the Union army, believing that it was the 
duty of loyal citizens of the Republic to 
sever home ties and do what they could in 
saving the nation's integrity. He was in 
tin- Fifteenth Army Corps under John A. 
Logan, with Genera] James Stewart Martin 
in Company H, One Hundred and Eleventh 
Illinois Volunteer Infantry, having been 
sergeant of the company of which his 
In-other. George E. Castle, was captain. He 



served with distinction in this regiment, the 
operations of which is given in detail in the 
sketch of General Martin in this work, until 
the close of the war, and he passed in the 
grand review in Washington City before 
the President and all the generals of the 
army. Mr brought home a Confederate 
flag. 

( hi June 27, 1864, the subject was in the 
battle of Kenesaw Mountain when the whole 
of Sherman's armj charged the forces of 
General Johnson entrenched on the moun- 
tain. 

He took part in two months of continuous 
fighting about Atlanta, July 22 and 28, 
1864, being memorable dates in that city's 
history. On the first mentioned date, Gen- 
eral McPherson was killed and on this date, 
( ieneral James S. Martin, of Salem, was 
made a brigadier general. On July 28th 
was fought a desperate battle lasting all day, 
on which day General Martin's line received 
seven terrific charges and never moved a 
foot. On August 3d another hard battle 
was fought in the siege of Atlanta, when 
Sherman's army escaped from Hood. 

On August 31st the subject was in the 
capture of Atlanta, after which he went with 
Sherman on his march to the sea. On De- 
cember 14th, following the battle at Fort 
McAllister was fought and captured by 
Hazen's division, which meant virtually the 
capture of Savannah, as Johnson then evacu- 
ated this place. The army then went on to 
Hitton I lead. South Carolina, and then Co- 
lumbia, Couth Carolina, was captured. At 
Fort McAllister our subject and his brother 



RICHLAND. CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



I/I 



captured a Confederate flag and many other 
relics which they brought home. 

After his career in the army Mr. Castle 
returned to Salem and took a course in the 
high school, after which he went to Wes- 
leyan University at Delaware, Ohio, taking 
a three years' course in the sciences and 
making a brilliant record in the same. Upon 
his return to Salem he went into the hard- 
ware business in which he remained until 
1878, building up an excellent trade in the 
meantime. He then traveled for ten years 
for the Champion Harvesting Machine 
Company, giving entire satisfaction to this 
company, the patronage of which he caused 
to be greatly increased. Then, much to the 
regret of his employers, he severed his con- 
nection with the Champion people and en- 
gaged with his brother, Captain George E. 
Castle, in the cattle business in Southwest 
Kansas, which enterprise was continued 
with the most gratifying results up to the 
time of the latter's death. Since then our 
subject has been farming. He has an excel- 
lent farm property which is kept in a high 
state of improvement, and which yields a 
comfortable income from year to year 
through the skillful management of the sub- 
ject. On this farm is to be found an ex- 
cellent orchard of thirty acres, Mr. Castle 
having been an enthusiastic horticulturist 
for several years. He has a substantial 
dwelling house and many convenient out 
buildings on his farm which he oversees, but 
does not live on. 

The domestic life of Mr. Castle dates 
from 1897 when he was united in marriage 



with Arabella Whittaker, the refined and 
affable daughter of R. H. Whittaker. The 
parents of Mrs. Castle were both born in 
Ireland. They came to Salem, Illinois, in 
1852, the father of our subject's wife hav- 
ing been one of the civil engineers that sur- 
veyed the route for the Baltimore & Ohio 
Southwestern Railroad, at that time known 
as the Ohio & Mississippi Railroad. R. H. 
Whittaker passed away in June, 1889, at 
Salem, his life companion having preceded 
him to the silent land in 1881. 

The subject's wife was the only child of 
Mr. and Mrs. R. H. Whittaker. She is a 
highly accomplished woman, well educated 
and talented. She is an able and noted 
teacher of both music and painting, being 
the only art teacher in Salem. She is re- 
garded by every one who has seen her work 
as being a finished and accomplished artist 
and she has a beautiful studio in connection 
with her home. She reveres the memory of 
her parents and likes to tell of the happy 
days when R. H. Whittaker was station 
agent for the Baltimore & Ohio Southwest- 
ern road at Salem, which position he held 
for several years. He was also fuel agent 
for many years and had a wide acquaint- 
ance among railroad men. He quit railroad 
business several years before he died, and 
engaged in the lumber business in Salem, 
which he was engaged in at the time of his 
death. 

Mr. and Mrs. Castle have no children. 

Mr. Castle is a member of the ancient and 
honorable order of Masons, also the Knights 
Templar and the Grand Army of the Re- 



17- 



niOGKAPHIl VI \ \ n III \II\ImI\i II ISTORY n| 



public. \ixl Mr. and Mrs. I )astle are both 
ardent members of the Episcopal church. 
Our subject was a member of the building 
committee thai erected the handsome i 
edifice in Salem, and he takes .1 special in- 
terest in all the affairs of this church. 

In the modern, substantial and beautiful 
home of Mr. and Mrs. Castle which stands 
mi Whittaker streel in Salem, is to be found 
many curios and relics, especially of the 
Civil war. Tin- beautiful art treasures of 
Mr>, Castle are numerous, the walls being 
hung with many excellent pictures, the han- 
diwork of Mrs. Castle, and then- elegantly 
furnished home is regarded as a plan- where 
hospitality is always unstintingly dispensed. 



AMES. F. in \ l l 



"Through struggle to triumph" seems to 
be the maxim which holds sway for the ma- 
jorit) of our citizens, and. though it is un- 
doubtedly true that many fall exhausted in 
the conflict, a few l>\ their inherent force of 
character and strong mentality, rise above 
their environment .and all which seems to 
hinder them, until they reach the plane ol 
affluence toward winch their face was set 
through the long years of struggle that must 
necessarily precede any accomplishment of 

at magnitude. Such has been the history 
(if Mr. Hyatt, proprietor of the well known 
Linden Lawn Dairy, and in his life record 
man\ useful lessons ma) be gleaned. 

James I". Hyatt was born in Versailles, 
Indiana. January 7. 1N55. the son of Hiram 
and Bythynia 1 Uley) Hyatt, the former a 



native of Indiana, and the latter of Ken 
lucky. The Sllbji 1 I Father was ., jto< I. man 
and farmer, and for many years carried "ii 

a stuck business mi an extensive scale near 
Versailles, having died in Clay City, Indi- 
ana, in 1905. I lis widow, a woman of many 
praiseworthy traits, like those of her hus- 
band, is still living at this writing 1 [908), 
I lu -i were the parents of five children who 
grew to maturity, and who reside in Indi- 
ana, with the exception of the subject, who 

is the eldest of the family. Me was reared 
in his native county where he received a 
common school education, having attended 
the Quaker Academy for two years at But- 
lerville, Indiana. I le decided ti 1 beci *me 
quainted with the manufacture of woolen 
goods, and accordinglj early in life went to 
work in a woolen mill, also worked in a flour 
mill owned by his father, where he remained 
for several years. When twenty years old 
he went t.i what is now * la) I ity, Indiana, 
it being a railroad terminus before a ]x>st- 
office was established. A coal mine had 1" 
developed there. IK' secured employment 
with the coal company as weigh boss, later 
in a clerical capacity, having given the com- 
pany entire satisfaction iii tins work. In 
1S7S he started a small merchandise busi- 
ness which was successful from the first, and 
also became interested in coal mining, brick 
manufacturing, milling ami various enter- 
prises which he carried mi with his usual 
successful methods, and operated stores in 
a number of different places, j,, fact, he pur- 
chased large s(,,cks of ^"<>ds in various east- 
ern cities, shipping the same to different 
stales and closing them out. His advance- 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILL] 



173 



ment was rapid and most successful. In 
1894 to 1896 he sold all his interests in In- 
diana, having previously got possession of 
large tracts of land in Arkansas, establish- 
ing a colony in northeastern Arkansas, and 
has been instrumental in locating many fami- 

rom the northern and eastern stati 
the same. He still carries on this business 
with gratifying results. He went to Chicago 
to live, where he resided until coming to 01- 
ney in 19 

At the time he came to Olney he pur- 
chased the Linden Lawn Dairy, which he 
has since managed in a most succ 
manner, having made many improvements. 
increasing the capacity of the dairy, enlarg- 
ing the barns, improving the fertility of the 
land, and in many ways making it one of 
the model dairies of the state. He ha 
hundred head of dairy stock. There 
great demand for all that his dairy produces 
in Olney. where all his dairy product 
readily disposed of. This business was orig- 
inally established by the Linden Lawn 
Farming Company, a corporation organized 
or promoted ' Mace, now dec- 

Mr. Mace conceived the idea of forming a 
corporation for carrying on farming and 
dairying on an extensive scale, with the idea 
» making it a co-operative institution. 
All employes invested twenty-five per cent, of 
- in stock and received pro rata of 
r" the business. It grew to extensive 
proportions, consisting of farming, horticul- 
ture, dairying and stock raising. Modern 
buildings and equipment were provided. At 
the time of the death of Mr. Mace, the pro- 
moter, in 1900. the stockholders decided to 



-e the corporation and ^ell the property. 
Accordingly in September of that year, 
Jame- F. Hyatt, our subject, purchased the 
same and has since carried ->n the work 
a paying basis, assisted by his wife, who is 
actively connected with the managenv 
The dairy has eighty stalls for milch cows, 

iroximity. There 
silo with four hundred tons capacity, 
which was one of the first built in this 
county. Linden Lawn 1 ,f one hun- 

dred and sixty-three acres, all inside the 
corporate limits of Olney. Land on part of 
three sides is platted and partly improved. 
The land is in a high state of fertility. Si 
tv-five acres are in bearing order in fine o 
dition. The dwelling is of pressed brick. 

e trimmings, slate n ,mmodi' 

convenient, and has all modern convenie; 
and appliances, large verandas, stone, brick 
and concrete w; ge well, beautifully 

shaded lawn. The building occup "ed 

ind, giving a splendid view of the city. 
The barn is metal roofed and has every 
modern equipment for furnishing high 
grade, sanitary milk. The barn has steam 
and electric power, electric lights, running 
water, concrete floors, and is in every way 
up-to-date. The dairy herd is mostly full 
blood Jersey. In fact, this is without doubt 
one of the very finest farms in Illinois, and 
one would be compelled to search long and 
far to surpass it in any state. 

Mr. Hyatt was united in marriage in 
?8 to Iva Grim, a nat : In- 

diana, the daughter of Her. Charity 

Grim, native 3, both now de- 

ceased. The father of Mrs. Hyatt was a 



'74 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



farmer and merchant, a civil engineer and 
surveyor, and a pioneer of Coal City. One 
son, Frederick, a lad of much business pro- 
mise, now seventeen years old, has been 
born i" Mr. and Mrs. 1 [yatt. 

In [902 Mr. Hyatt purchased the opera 
house block, a three storj brick structure. 
I [e remodeled the interior and converted the 
top floors into a modern opera Inane, refur- 
nished and entirely overhauled the same. 
The interior decorations and arrangements 
compare favorably with the smaller opera 
houses in the large cities. This splendid, 
safe and comfortable play-house is greatly 
appreciated by the citizens of this commu- 
nity and much credit is given the owner for 
its establishment. 

Tn his political relations Mr. Hyatt is a 
Republican. I le is a member of the Benevo- 
lent and Protective Order of Elks, Lodge 
No. 926, at Olney. He is president of the 
Business Men's Association of Olney. Mrs. 
Hyatt is a member of the Christian church. 

James F. Hyatl is a thoroughly practical 
business man. which fact, coupled with his 
undoubted ability as an organizer and pro- 
moter, contains the secrel of the success of 
the institution of which he is the head. 



WILLIAM L. DRAPAR. 

Mr. Drapar has for mam years been an 

honored resident of Marion county, whose 

interests he has ever bad at heart, and who 

advancing his own welfare done 



much toward promulgating tin- civic, in 
dustrial and moral tone of the vicinity. His 
career has been one of hard work and in- 
tegrity, consequentl) be i- deserving of the 
respect in which be is ln-ld by everyo 

William L. Drapar was burn in Fayette 
county, Illinois, October 29, [850, the - 
■ if John B. Drapar, a native of Tennessee, 
who came to Illinois when a mere lad. in 
the days when the inhabitants wore buck- 
skin breeches and when the forests abounded 
in wiltl game and the hills and prairies were 
overrun by the red men. Grandfather Dra- 
par was also a native of Tennessee, who 
brought bis son, father of our subject, to 
this state, settling in Fayette county. Grand- 
father was a well known lawyer in his day 
and served as Judge of Lafayette county. 
Vandalia, the county seat, was then the 
state capital. Judge Drapar, like most pio 
neer men. was the father of a. large family, 
he and his faithful life companion becoming 
the parents of fifteen children, three pairs 
of twins. He was a Jeffersonian Democrat 
and a soldier in the 'Mexican war. He sub- 
sequently moved to Salem where he was 
called from his earthly labors at the age of 
fifty-six years, and be was buried at Xenia, 
• l.i \ county. 

John 1'.. Drapar moved to Salem in [856. 
lie was a blacksmith of extraordinary skill. 
and for some time drove a stage-coach on 
the «'ld Vandalia line. He enlisted in the 
Union army during the Civil war, but never 
saw service. He died about 1896. 

The m. ilber of the subject of this sketch 

was known in her maidenhood as feanette 



RICHLAND, CLAY A.ND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



17? 



Abel, who was born in Bowling Green, 
Kentucky, the representative of a South- 
ern family of honorable repute. The 
date of her birth occurred February 16, 
1828, and she was summoned to join the 
"choir invisible" in 1904, while living at 
the home of our subject in Salem and she 
is buried in the cemetery here. The follow- 
ing children were born to Mr. and Mrs. 
John B. Drapar: Margaret, widow of Eli- 
sha Ledger/wood, who is living in the state 
of Washington: William L., our subject; 
Edwin, who died when four years old ; an 
infant girl, deceased. 

William L. Drapar, the subject of this 
sketch, was reared in Salem where he re- 
ceived the customary common school edu- 
cation. At an early age he assisted his 
father in a blacksmith shop. When twenty- 
one he was thrown on his own resources, but 
being' a youth o>f indomitable energy and 
courage, he went to work with a will and 
has prospered all his subsequent life. He 
went into the milling business in 1872 at 
Salem and has been thus engaged since that 
time, becoming known as one of the leading 
milling men in this part of the state, having 
been eminently successful in this enterprise 
from the first. He worked for E. Hull, 
father of Senator C. E. Hull, for eighteen 
years. Since January, 1890, he has been 
associated with Senator Hull in business, op- 
erating the Salem Brick Mill, the style of 
the firm being Hull & Drapar. The present 
building which this firm occupies was 
erected in i860, but has since been remod- 
eled into a modern and substantial build- 



ing. They do a general milling business 
and their products are known not only 
throughout Marion count}- where they have 
a very extensive trade, but all over this 
part of the state and to remote sections of 
this and other states. 

Mr. Drapar was united in marriage first 
in 1872 with Sarah J. Fair, whose parents 
died when she was two years old and she 
was reared by a family named Castle who 
came to Salem from Ohio at the close of 
the war. She was a woman of many c< im- 
mendable traits of character, and to this 
union the following interesting family was 
born: Ira and Louie, twins, born July 11, 
1874. The first named is living in Holden- 
ville, Oklahoma, where he is Assistant 
Cashier of the Second National Bank. He 
is also City Recorder of Holdenville. He is 
a graduate of the Salem high school in 
which he made a splendid record, and he 
is also a graduate of the Flora Business 
College. For three years he was manager 
of a large lumber company in Oklahoma 
in which state he is very popular. Louie 
lives in Chicago where he has a responsible 
position with the Santa Fe Railroad Com- 
pany, which regards him as one of their 
most faithful and trusted employes. Leslie, 
the third child, was born July 28, 187S. 
He is also 1 a graduate of the Salem high 
school. He is now living in Xew Mexico 
in the employ of the Harvey Dining Sen-ice 
Company. He has been a dining car con- 
ductor for years. He had the distinction of 
serving for one year as superintendent of 
the dining sendee at Yale University. He 



■ 7° 



BIOGRAPHICAL VND REMINISCENT HISTORY 01 



is an expert at this line of business and 
!m- gained wide notoriety among the peo 
pie of this business. George, the fourth 
child, was born November i-\ [882. He 
holds the responsible position as cashier 
and bookkeeper of the Sherman I louse in 
( !hicago. Babel, the winsome and accom- 
plished daughter of the subject and wife, 
was lx 11-11 March 5. 1890. and she is yet a 
member of the family circle, keeping house 
fi ir her father. 

Mrs. Drapar passed to her eternal rest 
on August 15, 1894, after a useful and 
beautiful life. Mr. Drapar was again mar- 
d "ii June 14. 1899. to fsabel Bell, daugh- 
ter of Philo Bell, of Sumner. Illinois. Mr. 
Bel! was a stage driver on the old Vin 
ines & St. Louis line before the Baltimore 
& < Hn'o Railroad was built. This wife died 
without issue May 3, 1907, of a paralytic 
stroke. She was a woman of strong char- 
r and had many faithful friend-. 
Mr. Drapar has always taken consider- 
able interest in political affairs. Tie served 
* 11 \lderman for si\ years in a mosl 
creditable manner. He was school directoi 
for five years, during which time the local 
scho ils fell - I impetus. II tax 

collector for one year, refusing to serve 
longer, much to the regrel of every one con- 
ed. 
Fraternally, Mt Drapar has been a mem- 
ber of the Independent Order of Odd Fel 
lows since [874, occupying all the chairs, 
both Subordinate icampment. He 

ed tin' Grand Lodges regularly 
for twenty-two years. He met with the 



Sovereign Grand Lodge at St Louis several 
years ago. Mr. Drapar has been a mem- 
ber of the Presbyterian church since a hoy. 
He belongs to that class of citizens who 
by their support of the moral, political and 
social status for the general good, promote 
the real welfare of their respective commu 
nities. 



A. M. PEDDICORD. 

It is interesting to study the life record 
of such a man as the gentleman whose 
name appears above owing to the fact that 
he began life under no favorable auspicies 
and has had to battle his own way through 
the world, but he has succeeded remarkably 
well and has shown how a man can "go 
it alone" when once his face is set in the 
right direction and he has the courage of his 
convictions. Therefore, for this and many 
other reasons, not the leasl of which is the 
fact that he is one of the brave veterans of 
the great war of the Rebellion, efficiently 
serving his country during its dark days, 
we take pleasure in giving him a place in 
this work. 

A. M. Peddicord was born in Bracken 
county. Kentucky, June 4, 1841, and he was 
aboul fourteen years old when he came to 
Marion county, Illinois, and spent most of 
the time since then in Carrigan township. 
He is the son of Nelson and Rebecca Peddi- 
cord, the subject's parents having been 
cousins. The father died when the subject 
was very young and he has but little recol- 




A. M. PEDDICORD. 



RICHLAND. CLAY AND .MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



i/7 



lection of him. The subject's mother was 
born in Mason county, Kentucky, and died 
about fifteen years ago. There were six 
children in the family of Nelson Peddicord 
and wife, namely: Emanuel J., who first 
married Hester Lawrence, and they became 
the parents of three children ; his second wife 
was Sallie Hooker and they became the par- 
ents of five or six children ; Emanuel's third 
wife was Nancy Roberts; A. E., the second 
child of Nelson and Rebecca Peddicord, 
served in the Union army in the One Hun- 
dred and Eleventh Illinois Volunteer In- 
fantry, having remained single, and he died 
soon after the close of the war; F. M. mar- 
ried a Miss Faggin and they are the parents 
of five children; A. M., our subject, was the 
fourth child in order of birth ; Sarah M. 
was twice married ; Priscilla died when 
young. 

The subject of this sketch was compelled 
to make his own way after he was four- 
teen years old and he has succeeded admir- 
ably well. When he reached maturity he 
was married to Eliza Britt in August, 1869, 
in Marion county. She was the daughter of 
Samuel and Abigail (Roderick) Britt. Her 
parents lived in Pennsylvania, Ohio and In- 
diana and finally settled in Marion county, 
Illinois, and they died here. Mr. Britt was 
a farmer. The subject's wife was the ninth 
of a family of ten children. 

The following children were born to Mr. 
and Mrs. A. M. Peddicord: Francis M., 
who is forty-one years old in 1908, married 
Mary E. Foltz and they are the parents of 
seven children ; Mary E. died when four- 



teen months old; Sarah E., who is now thir- 
ty-nine years, married Thomas P. Walker, 
and they have three children living and 
two dead. 

As already intimated Mr. Peddicord was 
a soldier in the Union army during the Civil 
war. having enlisted in Company K, Thirty- 
first Illinois Volunteer Infantry, on August 
10, 1 86 1, under the command of Gen. John 
A. Logan. He served in a most gallant 
manner for a period of four years. He was 
taken prisoner on the march to the sea at 
Meridian, Mississippi. He was in the bat- 
tle of Fort Donelson, was in the siege of 
Vicksburg and Champion's Hill. He was 
in Andersonville prison for a period of six 
months, later being moved to Florence. He 
contracted the scurvy while in prison, hav- 
ing been in prison when peace was declared. 

Our subject lias an excellent farm con- 
sisting of two hundred and sixty acres of 
valuable land in section 34, seventy-seven 
acres of which are in timber. The subject 
has made most of the improvements of his 
farm which now holds high rank with 
Marion county's best farms. It shows good 
management and is well stocked. He has 
a comfortable residence which is well fur- 
nished. 

Mr. Peddicord was Road Commissioner 
for two terms and gave entire satisfaction. 
He is a loyal Democrat. Mr. and Mrs. 
Peddicord are faithful members of the Bap- 
tist church. Our subject deserves much 
credit for what he has accomplished, for 
he had little chance to attend school in his 
youth. The only school-house in his com- 



12 



178 



CIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



tnunity was built of logs, and the terms of 
school were very short. But he has been a 
hard worker and has succeeded despite early 
disadvantages, until today he is one of the 
county's most representative agriculturists 
and has many friends throughout the 
same. 



RICHARD LEW [S 



Energy, sound judgment and persistency 
of effort, properl) applied, will always win 
ilir goal soughl in the sphere of human en- 
deavor, no matter what the environment may 
what obstacles arc met with, for they 
who arc endowed with such characteristics, 
make stepping-stones of their adversities to 
higher things. These reflections arc sug 
gested bj the career of Mr. Lewis, who has 
fi irged his way ti > the fn mt ranks, and stands 
today ami ng the representative men of Rich- 
land c unity. 

Richard Lewis, the well known proprii 
of the Metropole Hotel in( Hney, Illinois, was 
born in Breckenridge county, Kentucky. Au- 
gusl 17. [844, the son of Thomas and Sa 
rah 1 Mattingly) Lewis, the former having 
Ik en In rn near Harper's Ferry, Virginia, and 
the latter in Kentucky. The father was 
reared in his native State and came to Ken 
tncky with In- parents when y iung, where he 
married and became a fanner. James Mat- 
tingly, grandfather of the subject, was a 
planter and a slave owner in Kentucky where 
he lived and died. Thomas Lewis removed 
t<> Illinois with his family in 1X41. and set 



tied at Pond Grove, near St. .Mane. Jasper 
county. Soon afterward he changed his place 
1 if residence ti 1 am ither part 1 f Jasper county. 
lie was one of the pioneers of thai section 
and improved a good farm, o insisting oi m 
hundred and twenty acres six miles south 
of Newton, which in late years he gave to 

Ins yi Hinges! Sl hi. I le died at the In >me of the 

subject in Olney in (883, at the age of sev- 
enty-three years. ||, s w ife had previously 
died at the age if sixty-three years. Their 

family consisted of six children, three boys 
and three girls, two of the youngest daugh- 
ters being deceased. The Stlbjecl is the fifth 
in 1 irder of birth, lie w as twi \ ears , ,id when 
tlie family located in Jasper county. I lis par- 
ents being poor, his early education was very 
limited on accounl of his having to work 
hard to help support the Family, working >n 
the farm early and late. There were onlj 
a few schools in the county which was new 
at that time, so he was enabled to attend 

School only about six months; later he did a 

great deal if home reading and by pnn 
experience became generall) educated and is 
today a well informed man. 

During iii- youth the fannK was s, , p., or. 
acci irding ti > 1 mr subject, that it t< 11 >k all their 
money at one time to buy one hoc. which was 
turned ver to an older brother, William. 
fi ir use. lie. however, was not satisfied to d 1 
all tlii' work audi made a wooden hoe which 
he insisted 1 m 1 lur subject using t< - help. I >ick 
says he accordingly put in many days ot 
hard work with a wo, den hoc. which has 
probably been the expet ience of but few pe >- 
pie now living in Illinois. The family lived 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



1/9 



in a log; house for a number of years without 
windows. I nit the father finally sawed out a 
small place for one window, in which they 
lived until the house was destroyed by lire. 
The nearest neighbor was three miles away. 
Wild game of all kinds was plentiful, includ- 
ing deer, bear, wild turkey, and wolves were 
numerous and sometimes troublesome. The 
father was compelled to get up at night main- 
times for the purpose of driving them out 
of the dooryard and away from the sheep and 
hogs. The father was a shoemaker and made 
all the shoes and boots for the family. Rich- 
ard was allowed one pair of shoes per year, 
being compelled to go barefoot from early 
spring until sm iw fell in the late fall. 

Mr. Lewis was one of the supporters of 
the national government during the trouble 
in the sixties, having enlisted in 1861, but 
not being old enough and being opposed by 
his family, he did not go to the front. He 
then took charge of the home place and for a 
few years was \ ery successful. He sold hi >gs 
at Olney during the war for twelve dollars 
per one hundred pounds. In 1865 he en- 
listed in Company B. One Hundred and 
Fifty-fifth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and 
immediately went into the field. He was first 
sent to Louisville and then to Nashville, also 
to Tullahoma, Tennessee, returning to Mur- 
freesboro, where he remained until he was 
mustered out. After the war he came back 
home and located on a farm of forty acres, 
which he had bought with two wagon-loads 
of hogs prior to enlisting. In the mean- 
time his father bought forty acres more with 
the money the subject had sent him. mak- 



ing him eighty acres in all. with which to 
start life. In 1866 and 1867 he raised crops 
of wheat and sold wheat the latter year for 
two dollars per bushel. On one occasion he 
took thirty bushels to Olney for which he re- 
ceived sixty dollars. Meeting an old com- 
rade, Jim Clark, son of "Old Sam Clark," 
after the war, the young men repaired to a 
place for social refreshment and being looked 
upon by the proprietor of the place as young 
and unsophisticated, were induced to try their 
luck at a game. It was the subject's lucky 
day and he made fifteen dollars very easily. 
It became a puzzle to his father how the son 
could come home with so much money for 
thirty bushels of wheat. During those days 
Mr. Lewis was on his way to the polls at St 
Marie to vote and passed a place where a 
young lady was breaking flax with a flail and 
casually made the remark, "That is the girl 
for me." He did not know her, but after- 
ward met her quite unexpectedly and it is a 
coincidence worth recording here that she is 
his wife today. 

After the marriage of Mr. Lewis he con- 
tinued on the farm and was prosperous for 
several years, buying more land until he had 
a splendid place, consisting of one hundred 
and twenty acres. He was ambitious to get 
ahead and bought a threshing machine out- 
fit, going in debt on his credit, which was 
unquestioned. The panic of 1873 came on- 
and it was impossible to get money, so he 
lost all. After he had turned over all his 
property except a homestead interest which 
he traded for two houses and lots in Olney. 
he found judgment still hanging over him. 



I So 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY 'M 



lie paid one judgement of six hundred dol- 
lars by disposing of one house and lot and 
went i" work al whatever he could find to 
do for se^ era] years. 

In September, 1897, he bought a hotel 
business ipposite the Illinois Central depot in 
Olney, which he conducted for aboul a year. 
Ik- then conducted a similar business on 
West Mam streel for two years, alter which 
he ti " ik charge of the old I '1 »mmercial I lousej 
which he christened the New Olney House, 
and conducted the same for three years, lie 
then sold oul and leased the Metropole ho- 
tel, which lie soon after sold. After a trip 
to St. Louis he returned to Olney and again 
engaged in the hotel business on Wesl Main 
street for about a year. Selling out, he again 
took charge of the Metropole hotel, which 
he has since conducted successfully. It is 
the leading h itel in this part of the country 

and would he a credit to larger cities, being 

carefullj conducted and managed in such a 
manner as to constantly gain prestige with 
the traveling public. It is a three-stor) brick 
structure, modern in ever) detail, with thirty- 

■ ms, electric light 1 heat, hot and 

cold writer, and all other equipmenl that can 
be found in an up-to-date hotel. Its cuisine 

1 llenl and courtei ms treatment is al- 
ways accorded guests, so that the place is 
popular with the traveling public. Its genial 
and pleasant proprietor is familiarly known 

as -a lid Dick Lev 

Mr. Lewis was married December 26, 

1 No-, to Sarah Anderson, a native of near 

Madison, Indiana, the rof 1 'elix and 

Underwood) Anderson, both of 



ivhom dud in Jasper county, Illinois. Mr. 
and Mrs. Lewis are the parents of eighl chil- 
dren, two of whom are living. \nna is the 
wife of Victor Bolmar, who resides in Mat- 
ti on, Illinois; May is the other daughter. 

In politics Mr. Lew is was formerly a l)em 
ocrat, but in later years he has voted the 
Republican ticket, lie is a member of the 
Eli Boyer Lost. No. 92, Grand Army of the 
Republic. lie has held many positions in 
the -ante, being at present quartermaster. 
lie is also a member of Olne) Lodge, No. 
926, Benevolent and Protective Order of 
Elks. I le and his family are members of the 
Catholic church. 



NATHANIEL G. IHTL. 

I he subject of this sketch has long 
been identified with the progress and ad- 
vancement of this favored section of the 
greal Prairie state, where he has maintained 
his home for more than the Psalmist's al- 
lotted three score years, having been bom 
within her borders, having spent his long, 
active and useful life here and where he 
has attained gratifying success in connection 
with the development of its resources, being 
one of the representative farmers and stock 
growers in Stevenson township and having 
one of the must productive landed estates in 
this part of the county. 

Nathaniel ('.. Huff was born in Stevenson 
township, this county, February 6, 1841, the 
son of William H., Sr.. and Mary A. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



181 



(Crane) Huff, the former a native of Vir- 
ginia and the latter of Kentucky. The sub- 
ject's grandfather was Samuel Huff, also 
a native of Virginia who later removed to 
Tennessee and finally came to Marion 
county, Illinois, settling among the pioneers 
on government land on what is now Rac- 
coon township. He later moved to Haines 
township, where he cleared land and made 
a comfortable home, spending the rest of 
his days there. Leonard Huff was the 
great-grandfather of the subject. He was 
born in Germany and came to America in a 
very early day, settling in Pennsylvania 
where he spent his life and where he died. 
Mary A. Crane, our subject's mother, was 
the daughter of William Crane, who was a 
native of Virginia, having lived and died in 
Kentucky. William Huff, father of our 
subject, was raised in Tennessee and spent 
several years in Mississippi and Alabama. 
About April 22, 1840, he came to Marion 
canny, [llinois, where he married and 
where he purchased four hundred acres of 
wild land in what is now Stevenson town- 
ship, spending the remainder of his useful 
and very busy life here, dying March 10, 
1863. His widow, a much beloved old lady 
of fine Christian character, is still living. 
William Huff was regarded as a successful 
fanner. He joined the Christian church 
sometime prior to his death. He was twice 
married, his first wife having been Nancy 
Dukes, whom he married in Mississippi. 
She died leaving one child, William H. Jr. 
He married Mary Crane April 22, 1840. 
Eleven children were born to this union. 



namely: Nathaniel G., our subject; Benja- 
min F., deceased; Andrew J., deceased; 
James K. and George M. Dallis, twins, are 
both living; Joshua is living in this state 
at Jacksonville; Marj J. is the wife of Wil- 
liam Brasel; Henderson P. lives in Steven- 
son township ; Harriet C. is the wife of Wil- 
liam Porter Gaston; Virginia is the wife of 
John B. Brasel ; Steven A. is deceased. 

The subject of this sketch spent his youth 
on his father's farm, having remained under 
the parental roof-tree until he reached man- 
hood. He was educated in the old subscrip- 
tion schools and having applied himself in a 
diligent manner received a fairly good edu- 
cation. His father gave him a piece of land 
in this township which he at once set about 
improving, but which he sold in 1868 and 
bought his present fine farm of one hun- 
dred and seventy-eight acres, which lies in 
section 30, Stevenson township, and section 
25, Salem township. It was almost all in 
the woods when he took possession of it, 
but he has been a hard worker and has im- 
proved the place up to its present high state 
of efficiency, having been enabled from year 
to year to reap bounteous harvests from the 
same through his skillful manipulation of 
crops. He did most of the work in con- 
nection with his place himself, and also on 
his buildings, having an excellent and well 
furnished house and a good barn. Every 
thing about the place shows thrift and pros- 
perity and his farm is regarded as one of 
the most desirable in Stevenson township. 

Our subject's first marriage was in 1862 
to Tltlia A. Hill, a native of Marion county. 






BIOGRAPHICAL \ \ l > REMINISCEN1 HISTORY OF 



and eight children were born to this union, 
namely: Thomas, who lives in Stevenson 
township, married Orela Cutchin; Viola is 
living at Jacksonville, Illinois: William mar- 
ried Frankie Evans and resides in Salem 
township; Seymour, who is living in Salem 
township, married Elizabeth Guth; Mary A. 
is deceased ; Laura is single and resides in 
Jacksonville; Osceola, who is living in 
Flora, this state, married Maggie Babb ; Au- 
gustus 1.. married May Stone and lives in 
Eureka, Illinois, being a minister of the 
-lian church. 

The subject's second marriage was 
mnized November 8. 1SS5. to Martha 
E. Mercer, a native of Marion county and 
the daughter of Silas and Rebecca Mercer, 
early settlers in Marion county. The sub- 
ject has sixteen grandchildren and five chil- 
dren dead. He has two great-grandchil- 
dren. The subject and wife are members of 
the Christian church at old Mt. Maria, the 
first church organized in Marion county. 
The subject is a Jeffersonian Democrat, but 
s Bryan Democrat, believing that the 
old school democracy is preferable to the 
new. He filled the office of Justice of the 
Peace in a most able manner for a period 
teen years. 

Mr. Huff has in his possession an old 

lirrel rifle over one hundred years old 
which 1' I to his father. It has killed 

er one hundred deer and bear. He also 
has the eld powder-horn and shot pouch 
which his father carried. Mr. Huff has a 
note made in payment for a clock which 
was given him by his father-in-law. He 



also still has the clock. He has among other 
relics of the past a spinning-wheel and a 
Southern dagger, which was discovered in 
a layer of cane. 



S \ Ml Til. C. WILSON. 

The dominating spirit of self help is what 
has conserved the distinctive business suc- 
cess and prestige of the gentleman wli 
career we now take under consideration, 
win 1 stands at the head of one of the lean 
industrial enterprise- of Richland county, 
where from modest inception, he has built 
up 1 me of the leading flouring mills in this 
part of the state, controlling a trade which 
ramifies throughout a wide area of country, 
and having the high reputation which is 
ever significant of personal integrity ami 
honorable method-. 

Samuel (". Wilson, of S. C. Wilson & 
Company, proprietors of the Butler Sti 
Flour Mill- at ( )lney, Illinois, was horn n< 
Maryville, Tennessee, March 17. 1*44. the 
son of Joseph and \nn (Gault) Wilson, na- 
tives of Virginia, where the) were reared. 

I 'hey married after coming to Tennessee. 
The subject's lather was a farmer and a 
man of influence in his community. In 
April, [852, the family mov rawford 

inty, Illinois, where they settled on a 
farm. The same year Mr. Wilson bought a 

farm in Denver township, Richland county, 
which was developed into valuable property. 
Joseph Wilson died at the age of sixty-nine 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MAKION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



I8 3 



years, his wife having passed away at the 
age of fifty-four years. Mr. Wilson was 
twice married. Eight children were born 
of the first union and two of the second, 
the subject of this sketch being the youngest 
of the first marriage. 

Samuel C. Wilson came with his parents 
to Richland county in 185.2. He was reared 
on a farm, and his education in those early 
days was very limited, but by home reading 
and study he gained a fairly good founda- 
tion for later learning, which lie has received 
by contact with the world and general study. 
He remained under his parental roof until he 
was twenty-two years old, at which time he 
inherited a part of the old homestead, which 
he conducted in a very successful manner 
until 11876. having in the meantime bought 
additional land. He has been prosperous 
owing to In- conservative methods, his care- 
ful business principles. He at one time- 
owned six hundred and fory acres. In 1870 
our subject came ti 1 Olney and bought a mill, 
the main part of the present building having 
been erected in 1861. When he purchased 
this property it was of the old burr system, 
with a capacity of fifty barrel- per day. 
Since then the progress of the business has 
been constant, reaching its present propor- 
tions, large building and modern equipment, 
consisting of fourteen sets of roller-, with 
a capacity of two hundred barrels per day. 
Mr. Wilson has been very prosperous and 
he doe- a general milling business, handling 
large quantities of flour and feed. He manu- 
factures the famous brand known as "Our 
Daily Bread": this special grade of flour 



having long ago become known throughout 
this locality, and it took first premium at 
the state fair at Springfield, Illinois. 1908. 

The firm consists of Samuel C. Wilson 
and John C. Page, under the name of S I 
Wilson & Company, and they employ con- 
siderable help, are always busy, and con- 
stantly adding new territory to their list. 

The rlomestic life of Mr. Wilson dates 
from October, 1865. when he was first mar- 
ried to Emily J. Welty. a native of Hills- 
boro, Ohio, the daughter of Isaac and Mary 
A. I Barker) Welty. natives of Ohio. Seven 
children were born to the subject and wife, 
all of whom are now living, namely: Mary 
A.. Martha A.. Isaac X.. William F... 
Charles F., Edwin 0., and Thomas C. M 
Wilson passed to her rest March 3, 1901. 
and the subject married Jennie (Bradshaw) 
Lough, a native of Wayne county. Ellin 

Mr. Wilson in his political relations is a 
Democrat, having long been active in his 
party's affairs. In 1890 he was elected 
Treasurer of Richland county, and ably 
served one term of four years. In 1899 he 
was elected Mayor of Olney. serving one 
term of two years, being the first anti-saloon 
candidate ever eleced Mayor of this city. 
His administration was regarded by the 
community as one of the best the town ever 
had and numerous improvements were in- 
augurated. After their license had expired 
all saloons were closed during the remain- 
der of his administration. Tn the spring 
1908 Mr. Wilson was elected a member of 
the City Council. In his fraternal relations 
he is a member of the Masons and the 



1 84 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCEN1 HISTOR\ OF 



Knight Templars. In religious matter- he 
i- a faithful attendant of the Presbyterian 
church, being one of the oldest elders in the 
church. 

Mr. Wilson is a man of marked busii 
enterprise and capability, and he carries for- 
ward i" successful completion whatever he 
undertakes. I he subject has long bei 
important factor in business circles and his 
popularity is well deserved, as in him are 
embraced the characteristics of an unabat 
nergy, unbending integrity and indus- 
try that never flag 



DANIEL S. IK ILSTLAW. 

It is with a degree of satisfaction that the 
tpher has an opportunity at this junc- 
ture to write the following biogra] 
■ »f the well remembered ci 

me appear- aU >ve. now dec< 
who was for many years prominent in the 
affair- pf Marian county, for the readers of 

tin- 1 k will '1 mbtless gain inspiration 

from perusing these paragraphs to lead 
industrious, kindlier and worthier 
li\ es, hat the life i if the subjei 

complished not onlj individually but gen- 
etically, a the whole community in 
an uplifting manner, lie came to this sec- 
tion of the state in pioneer times and he 
assisted in bringing about the transforma- 
tion of the county in the wild condition in 
which it was found at the time of his ar- 
rival to its later-day progress and improve- 
ment. 



Daniel S. Holstlaw was born in Barren 
county, Kentucky, November 15, [813, the 

1 1 if Richard and Marx ( Smith 1 I [olst- 
lavv. the firmer a native of Virginia, who 
came in an early da) to Indiana, settling 
in < (range county and later came to Marion 
county, Illinois, in [830. Richard Holtslaw 

1 up government land and set about 
making a farm of his holdings with very 
flattering prospects ahead of him, but his 
life was brought to a close August 18, 1834, 
at the age of forty-six years. Mary, his wife, 
continued to live on the farm where she 
reared the children and made a comfortable 
living, being a woman of many sterling 
traits and of indomitable courage. Their 
children were eight in number, seven of 
win mi grew to maturity and named in order 
of birth as follows: Henry E., Daniel S., our 
subject; Luanda. John Andrew. Elizabeth 
Ann. Malinda II.. and Richard V. All of 
these children have now joined their parents 
in the eternal sleep < >f the just. 

Daniel S. Holstlaw was sixteen yeai 
age when he came to Illinois and located in 
what is now known as Stevenson township, 
where he -pent the remainder of hi- long. 
busy and useful life, having been called to 
his reward b) the Shepherd who giveth his 
beloved sleep, on December 2. 1905, con- 
scious of the fact that his life had not been 
lived in vain; that lie had fought a good 
light and kept the faith, as did the great 
Apostle, Saint Paul, in the days of our 
Saviour, and that there was laid up for him 
a reward in the Father's house which was 
not made with hand-. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



I8 5 



Mr. Holstlaw upon coming to this county 
bought a claim, having that rare foresight 
and sagacity that penetrated into the future 
years, bringing them within his horoscope, 
and which enabled him to see the great pos- 
sibilities that lie ahead. This first pur- 
chase was added to from time to time until 
he owned a large tract of land, which, un- 
der his able management was developed into 
one of the best, most productive and most 
highly improved farms in this locality. He 
was a hard worker, and. believing that it 
-was his duty as well as his privilege to eat 
his bread by the sweat of his brow, never 
ignored any task that he found awaiting 
disposition at his hands. He split the rails 
thai fenced his land and also put up a log 
house, and. infact, did the usual work of the 
pioneer. But having prospered by reason 
of his indomitable energy and good man- 
agement he was soon enabled to erect a 
more substantial nine room house, which 
was comfortable, cozy and well arranged, 
and in which the family now resides. 

The subject was a faithful member of 
the Methodist Episcopal church and a lib- 
eral supporter of the same : he and his 
worthy life companion both having pro- 
fessed religion the same night at a camp 
meeting held on Tennessee Prairie. In 1862, 
when the local Methodist church with 
which they were affiliated was divided up- 
on the question which precipitated the 
Civil war this intensely religious couple 
united with the Cumberland Presbyterian 
church in which the subject remained an ac- 
tive and faithful member until his death. 



Our subject was a staunch Demi icrat and 
took considerable interest in political af- 
fairs, having had the interest of his commu- 
nity at heart and lending his support at all 
times to whatever proposition that present- 
ed itself looking to the betterment of the 
community whether in a political, educa- 
tional, religious or moral sense. He was 
school director at one time and materially 
aided the local public school through his 
advice, counsel and influence. 

Mr. Holstlaw was united in man 
with Ruth W. Middleton on June 9, 1836. 
She was a native of what later became 
Campbell county, Tennessee, and the rep- 
resentative of an influential old family, 
the date of her birth falling on Janu- 
ary 23, 1819, the daughter of Wil- 
liam and Sarah J. ( Harris) Middleton, 
the former a native of Virginia and the 
latter of South Carolina. After their mar- 
riage they moved to Tennessee and in 1831 
came to Marion county, Illinois, locating 
three miles east of luka. in what is now 
Iuka township. They were sterling pio- 
neers and made a most o imfortable living 
in the new country where they became 
known as honest, hard-working people. 
Their family consisted of fourteen children, 
named in order of birth, as follows: 
Thomas L., Lydia P., Harvey, William H.. 
Elizabeth, John B., Joel, Martha, Jane, Sa-. 
rah, James A., Josephus W., Ruth W., the 
wife of our subject; Lucy and Dicy E. 

Mr. Middleton was a local preacher in 
the Methodist Episcopal church, having be- 
come well known as an able expounder of 



1 86 



BIOGRAPHICAL \\'l> REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



the < iospel and doing a vasl amount of good 
in his work here. His wife was also a 
Faithful worker m this church. 

To our subject and wife eleven children 
were born, six sons and five daughters, 
named in order of birth as follows: Richard 
I . who was first married to Mary A. Ja 
ger, and later to Rachel Berry; John 11.. 
whomarried Lucy Downing; Thomas, who 
married Aleatha E. Eiite; Hattie, who 
living at home; Mary is also a member of 
the home circle at tins writing, [908; 
Sarah became the wife of Omer Squibb; 
Daniel W., married Clara Stevenson; ] 
\V.. married I .ucretia Stevens m ; Ruth 
Emma is the wife of Daniel Crayton Ste- 
venson; Marion ('. married Lelian Bru- 
baker; Martha A. is single and living at 
home; the last two children named 
twins. 

The widow of our subject, a gracious old 
lady of beautiful Christian character and 
praiseworthy attributes, is living on die old 
homestead, being idolized by. her children, 
and much admired and loved by a host of 
friends. Many are the homes in the sur- 
rounding country where she has nursed I 
siek and brought sunshine and happini 
She tak< t in the lives of her 

children, her eighteen grandchildren and 
eighteen great-grandchildren. On the old 
home place, which is still well kept and in 
an excellent productive state, live three 
the daughters with their beloved mother, 
the family being well known in Stevenson 
township and highly respected by all. In 
this home are to he found manv old and in- 



teresting relies of the pioneer days, such as 
spinning wheels and machines for spinning 
flax, and manv similar thines. 



THOMAS V II \kl)M \\ 

When the business interests of a town or 
city are 111 the hands of worthy, capable and 
i nterprising men. an important step 
taken ti iward the gn w th and de\ el' ppme 
the place. I lad her merchants, men of busi- 
in general, been less worthy, capable 
and enterprising than they were. Chicago 
would lack much of being the city that it 
is today. Cities, like persons, have a dis- 
tinct individuality. One maj be sluggish, 
plodding, shiftless, wink- its neighbor only a 
few miles distant, may he alert, cue; 
progressive. It is the inhabitants who give 
character to a town or city ; if they are di 
the place can not disclose either development 
or progress To the merchants, contract irs 
and business men in general, most ol the 
credit is due for the desirable condition of 
affairs m Olney, Illinois, today, and among 
this class none hold a more w irthy place nor 
has clone more for the advancement of tin- 
city than the subject of this sketch. 

Thomas V I lard man. the well known con- 
tractor, of nine}'. Richland county, was 
bom near Manchester. England, July 14. 
[847, the s,„i if \lfred ami Elizabeth 
(Bishop) Hardman, the former a native if 
England and the latter of Scotland. The 
subject's father was a machinist. Both he 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



and his wife died when our subject was a work he began contracting, his first work of 



child 



When eight years old Thomas A. this nature being' for the countv over which 



Hardman was brought t<> the United States 
by an aunt, who located in Franklin county, 
Indiana. He had a limited chance to attend 
school only a few months during the win- 
ter. He was bound out to a farmer when 
twelve years old and when sixteen ran away 
and started in life for himself. He worked 
on a farm during the summer months and 
went tii school in the winter. When eighteen 
years old he beg'an teaching, having ac- 
quired a good education by clnse applicati m 
to his studies, lie taught in the winter and 
worked on a farm in the summer. He also 
attended school at Lebanon, Ohio, having 
saved money enough to defray his expenses 
there, finally securing a liberal education, 

When tewenty-four years old Mr. Hard- 
man was elected county Surveyor of Frank- 
lin county, Indiana, his certificate being 
signed by Governor Hendricks, lie served 
in a most faithful and capable manner for 
nearly two years when he resigned to accept 
a position with the Smith Bridge Company, 
of Tuled'), Ohio, with whom he remained 
two years as engineer. He proved to be an 
excellent i ffice man am! all his time was de- 
voted tn draughting. But the confinement 
was too much for him and he resigned on 
account 'if failing health. He returned to 
Franklin count}-, Indiana, and was appointed 
by the County Commissioners as County 
Engineer to look after bridge work at a time 
when many bridges were being- built, several 
costing from twenty-five thousand to forty- 
thousand dollars. While engaged in this 



and southern Indiana, he built many bridges. 
Then he began railroad work and in 1883 
built eighteen bridges on one railroad, must 
of them being in the Southern States. His 
bridges were considered of the most modern 
and careful construction, always satisfactory 
in every detail. He continued that line of 
work until 1890. when he came to Olney and 
since which time he has been engaged in con- 
tracting water works plants and engineering 
and improvement work in general. For a 
number of years he has done engineer work 
fur the city of Olney, particularly the street 
grades. He has put in the majority of the 
-h wer S3 stems. 

Mr. Hardman's work extends all over Illi- 
nois and into adjoining states; also t < • the 
Southern States. He built the water works 
at Olney which are high grade in every re- 
spect and would be a credit to any city. He 
has built the water works for many of the 
towns and cities of this state and Indiana. He 
has been uniformly successful and his name 
has gone all over the country, synonymous 
with high class work in this line of contract- 
ing. He constructs everything of good ma- 
terial and is scrupulous!}' honest in all his 
business transactions, so that the results of 
his contracting are always satisfactory to 
all concerned. 

Mr. Hardman was united in marriage in 
1876 to Julia St. John, a native of Frank- 
lin county, Indiana, daughter of D. H. and 
Kate (Lefforge) St. John, natives of Frank- 
lin county, Indiana, and at present residents 



1 88 



B RAPHICAL VND REMINISCENT HISTORY 01 



of ( >lney. Three children have been born to 
Mr. ami Mrs. Hardman, namely : Catherine, 
the wife of J. Q. Davis, a grocer of Olney; 
Thi imas Thi irnle) . who is li\ ing at hi im< 
the eldest, Alfred, was killed wink- on a va- 
cation to visit his father in South Carolina, 
at tin.- age if thirteen years. 

[n his fraternal relation-- our subject is a 
member of the Benevolent and Protective Or- 
der of Elks at < Hney; and in politics lie is a 
1 lemocrat. Ik- is a man of line personality, 
ami in i spect merits the high regard 

of his fellow citizens which they freel) 
cord \\ here* er he is km iwn. 



JACOB BRUBAKER. 

It is not the intention of the biographer 

sjive in tin- connection a detailed history 
of the subject's life, but father to note inci- 

itally his connection with the various 
enterprises with which his name has been 
linked ami to show the marked influence he 
wielded in advancing the interests of Ste- 
rn ti iwnship, Mari' m o mnty. 

Jacob Brubaker was horn in I airfield 
county. Ohio, in [825, the son of Abraham 
Brubaker, a native of the Buckeye state as 
was also his wife who was known in her 

maidenh 1 a- Elizabeth Myei They 

came to Marion county, Illinois in [842 
and took up government land and remained 
here the balance of their lives. Abraham 
was a man of influence in his community. 
He passed away March 10. 1854, and his 

thful life companion joined him Febru- 



ary 3. 1867. The number of children born 
to them was six. 

Jacob Brubaker, our subject, came to Illi- 
nois with his parents when he was sixteen 
years of age and received his education in 
the pioneer schools where the advantages 
were very limited and the terms lasted only 
a few months out of each year, but he ap- 
plied himself as best he could and laid the 
foundation for a good mental development 
a Inch he later received by home reading and 
personal observation. 

Mr. Brubaker was united in marriage to 
Jane Davis, who was born in Virginia. 
She was taken to Pennsylvania when two 
years of age and reared there, later coming 
to Illinois when she had reached maturity. 
remaining in this state until her earthly la- 
bors closed in 1895. She was a good 
woman, kind and gentle of disposition, and 
in her religious affiliations w : as a member 
of the Presbyterian church. Ten children 
were horn to Jacob and Jane Brubaker, 
named in order of their birth as follows: 
Clifford, who lives in Stevenson township 
on a farm ; Lillie is the wife of M. C. Hoist- 
law, a farmer of Stevenson township: Ella 
is single: John is a farmer living in Alma 
township, this county; Walter, who was 
born February 7. 1S64, lives on a farm in 
Stevenson township, lie was reared on a 
farm and in 1887 went to Colorado, but 
returned to this county and married Laura 
Rodgers. a native of Marion county. He 
has one hundred and forty acres of good 
land and he is regarded as an excellent 
farmer and neighbor. He is the father of 
one child. Blanche, frank is the name of 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



[89 



the sixth child of our subject, who is liv- 
ing on a farm in Stevenson township; Anna 
is the wife of Charles Craig, a farmer on 
the old Brubaker homestead ; Herman is a 
farmer in Iuka township; the ninth and 
tenth child died in infancy. 

Jacob Brubaker, after an eminently use- 
ful and active life, passed to his rest on June 
30, 1908, lamented by a host of friends who 
regarded him as one of the leading men of 
the community and who will greatly miss 
him. In politics he was a Democrat and 
he served as school director of Stevenson 
township. He was known as a loyal citizen 
and a good man. 



JOHN F. EDDIXGS. 

The climate, soil and general conditions 
prevalent in southern Illinois are well 
adapted to the purposes of general farming 
and stock raising. One of the men who has 
shown by their success that they were mas- 
ters of the art of fanning in Iuka town- 
ship, Marion county, is the subject of this 
biography. However, he is at present en- 
gaged in other business, having given up 
his former life work. 

John F. Eddings was born in Iuka town- 
ship, Marion county, Illinois, Feburary 22. 
1844, the son of James B. and Rhoda Ann 
(West) Eddings, both natives of North 
Carolina. They emigrated to Kentucky 
and Tennessee when very young, arriving 
in the latter state in 1842. They later 
came to Marion county, Illinois, and set- 



tled in Iuka township, where they remained 
a short time and then returned to Tennes- 
see, but returned to Marion county in 1855. 
settling again in Iuka township, where they 
remained during the rest of their lives on a 
farm. The death of the subject's father oc- 
curred February 28. 1901, and his wife 
died January 19, 1902. The former was a 
member of the Methodist Episcopal church 
and after the Civil war lie voted the Re- 
publican ticket. He was justice of the 
peace for two terms. There were nine 
children in the family of Mr. and Mrs. 
James Eddings, namely: Nancy, who lives 
in Iuka, is the wife of William Nicks; John 
F., our subject, was second in order of 
birth; Mary E., deceased, was the wife of 
L. L. Jones; Minerva H. is the wife of 
William Milburn, living in Iuka; James T. 
is a fanner living in Iuka township; Jesse 
J. lives in St. Louis; Martha Ann is the 
wife of William Morgan, living in Alma; 
William L." is deceased ; Sarah, step- 
daughter of the subject's father, is de- 
ceased. 

John F. Eddings was reared on the home 
farm and educated in the common schools 
of the county, remaining under the pa- 
rental roof until he was seventeen years of 
age, when he showed his patriotism by en- 
listing in Company I, Fortieth Illinois Vol- 
unteer Infantry, serving four years in a ■ 
most gallant manner. So efficient was his 
service that he was promoted to corporal, 
and then to first lieutenant. He served 
with Sherman's army, having been in all 
his campaigns, with the exception of 
when he was wounded at Shiloh, hav- 



h H i 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REM I MSI KM HISTORY or 



ing been shot through the shoulder 
in that great battle. His throat was 
also pierced by a bullet. lie remained 
in the general hospital for one ami one-half 

mi nulis. after which he received a furlough 
home nf from forty to fifty days at the ex- 
piration of which he rejoined his regimenl 

and served until the end of the war. After 
his return from the army, he farmed a 
while. Selling out. he came to luka and 
engaged in the real estate and insurance 
business, also as pension attorney which he 
has since been following with marked sue- 

Mr. Eddings is a member of the Grand 
Army of the Republic, Picket Post, hav- 
ing been commander, adjutant and quarter- 
master of the same. 

Fraternally he is a member of the In- 
dependent Order of Odd Fellows, having 
passed all the chairs and he has attended the 
"•rand lodge four times, lie has been sec- 
retary of the Independent Order of Odd 
Fellows, lodge No. 694, for eighteen years. 
I K- is ;i member of the Methodisl Episcopal 
church. 

Useless to add that in politics Mr. Ed- 
dings is a loyal Republican, lie is in 1908 
Supervisor of luka township, having been 
first appointed in December, [903, to fill out 
an expired term, taking the place made va- 

nl by the death of William Gray. Mr. 
Eddings was elected in 1007 foi a period 
of two years. Our subject has long been 
interested in public affairs and always did 
hi- part in furthering the interests of. his 
community in any way he could. 



GEORGE V McGAHEY. 

The life of the subject of this review has 
been such as to bear aloft the high standard 
which ha- been maintained by his father, 
whi> was one of the early residents of this 
section of the Prairie state, and whose life 
was signally noble, upright and useful, one 
over which falls no shadow of wrong in 
thought, word or deed. Such was the type 
nf men who laid the foundation and aided 
in the development of this state, and to their 
memories will ever be paid a tribute of rev- 
erence and gratitude by those who have 
profited by their well-directed endeavors and 
appreciated the less, ms of their lives. 

George A. McGahey, one of the leading 
grocers of Olney, Illinois, was born in this 
city, ( )ctober _'N. [868, and decided to direct 
his life work along channels here, rather 
than seek uncertain advantages in other 
fields, lie is the son of David Herman and 
Sarah E. (Swaim) Mcliahey. the former 
having been burn near Palestine. Illinois, 
and the latter in Hamilton county, Ohio. 
The mother moved with her parents to Illi- 
111 ii- when thirteen years "Id. settling near 
( >lnev on a farm in Richland county, wdiere 
she grew to maturity. The father of the 
subject lived in Jasper county for a number 
of years, where he improved a farm. He 
later moved i" Richland county where he 
married and bought a farm in Preston 
township, being among the early settlers 
here. About 1862 he moved to Olney where 
he lived until his death in [897, at the age 
of sixty-two years. Tfis wife, a woman of 



RICHLAND. CLAY AND MARION* COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



191 



beautiful Chrisian faith, survives, living in 
Olney. They were the parents of two chil- 
dren, George A., our subject, and a sister, 
Mrs. E. W. Reef, of Carbondale, the for- 
mer being the older. He was reared in Ol- 
ney, where he attended the public schools, 
graduating from the high school, having 
received a good practical education. He 
was assistant postmaster under J. C. Allen 
for some time, after which he went on the 
road selling wholesale groceries for a Cin- 
cinnati house, having been clerk in a grocery 
store for four years, during which time he 
thoroughly mastered this line of business. 
which he decided to make a life work. He 
was on the road for two years. In 1897 ' le 
purchased an interest in a grocery store in 
Olney under the firm name of Winans \- 
McGahey, which firm successfully continued 
for three years. In 1900 our subject es- 
tablished his present grocery store, one of 
the largest in Olney or this locality any- 
where. It occupies a space of eighteen by 
one hundred and seven feet, and a complete 
line of staple and fancy groceries is carried. 
A liberal trade has been built up within the 
city and surrounding country, and his cus- 
ti imers are on the increase owing to the fair 
and courteous treatment that is accorded to 
all who visit this neat and well kept store. 

Mr. McGahey has never assumed the re- 
sponsibilities of the married state, but lives 
at home with his mother and administers to 
her comfort. 

In politics Mr. McGahey is a Democrat, 
having long taken an active part in the af- 
fairs of his party, being a member of local 
Democratic committees, etc. He is a director 



in the Business Men's Association of Olney, 
which has done much to promote the inter- 
ests of Olney. He was one of the founders 
of the same, and has been one of its leading 
advocates. In his fraternal relations he is 
a member of the Independent Order of Odd 
Fellows. 

In all the relations of life Mr. McGahey 
has proved signally true to every trust. He 
possesses a social nature and by his genial 
and kindly attitude to those about him, has 
\vi in the respect and confidence of everyone. 
He has been very successful, being known 
as an able and careful business man and one 
whose integrity of purpose is beyond ques- 
tion. 



SHAXXOX KAGY. 



The memory of the worthy subject of this 
memorial biography is revered by a host of 
friends and acquaintances among whom he 
labored, having spent his energies through 
a long life of strenuous endeavor to make 
the most of his opportunities as well as to 
assist as best he could his neighbors to im- 
prove their condition. 

Shannon Kagy was born in Marion 
county. Illinois, May 26, 1844, and he was 
called from his earthly labors in 1889, after 
a life of usefulness and success in every 
particular. He was the son of Christian 
and Anna ( Hite) Kagy. natives of Ohio, 
and early settlers in Marion count}'. Il- 
linois. 

The subject was reared on his father's 
farm in Omega township, and was edu- 
cated in the common schools of Marion 



i';- 



EIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCEN1 H1ST0KV OF 



county. He married Anna E. Brubaker, 
bom in Stevenson township, this county., 
daughter of Eli and Ann (Warner) Bru 
baker. Mr. and Mrs. Kagy were the par 
ents of five children, namely: Myrtle, single 
and In ing a1 home, is one of the popular 
teachers of Marion county; Corwin, who 
n Oregon, married Pearl Crippen : 
('lark lives in Salem, this county, and mar- 
ried Quette Leckrone, and has two children, 
Donald and Harvey; Frank married Nellie 
Boring, living in New Mexico and they 
one child. Fay; Ellis married Ora Dru- 
endike. He is a farmer and has two chil- 
dren, Keith and Rex. 

After his marriage our subjeel moved to 
Nebraska, where he remained for three 
years, then returned to Marion county and 
went to farming in iNSj. on the place where 
his widow is -till living in Stevenson town- 
ship, three miles easl of Salem. Our sub- 
ject remained on this place until his death. 
He was a most excellent fanner and always 
managed his fields to best advantage, reap- 
ing rich harvests from year to year, making 
a comfortable living and laying by an 
ample competence for his family. He 
raised goi 'I Stock and the buildings on his 
place were comfortable and convenient. 

Mr. Kagy was one of the patriotic sons 
of the great Prairie state who offered their 
ii the field of battle to save the 
Union, having enlisted in Company K, One 
1 [undred and Eleventh Illinois Volt 
Infantry and served lint. . 
much hard service, but was never wounded 
nor taken prisoner. 



Mr. Kagy was a loyal Democrat and 

held some of the minor public office 
Stevenson township. He was a member of 
the Grand Army of the Republic, and was 
a faithful member of the Presbyterian 
church, lie was regarded by everyone as a 
good man. honesl and upright at all times 
and always interested in the welfare of his 
community, lending what aid he could in its 
develi ipment at all times. 

Mrs. Kagy, the widow of our subject 
lives on the home farm with her daughter. 
She manages the entire farm with skill and 
profit, being a women of rare business abil- 
ity and force of character. She understands 
the proper rotation of crops so as to get the 
best harvests and the maintenance of the 
soil to its original fertility. She also under 
stands the proper handling of live stock. 
Her farm is regarded as one of the best 
in Stevenson township. The buildings are 
modern, and always kept in good order. 
She is held in high esteem by her neighbors 
and many friends for her many admirable 
traits of character and her kind heart and 
cheerful disposition, being a pleasant woman 
to meet, a- i-, also her daughter. 



ROBERT O. BRIGHAM. 

No business man of Centralia is regarded 
with higher favor than is the subject of this 
-ketch, who, while looking to his own in- 
neglect to discharge his 
duties in fostering the upbuilding of the 
d immunity in general. 




CENTRAL! A ENVELOPE CO. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND .MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



1 93 



Robert O. Brigham, manager of the Cen- 
tralia Envelope Company, was born in 
Clinton, New York, May 23, 1861, the 
son of Lewis and Sophia (Johnson) Brig- 
ham, the former having been born in Ver- 
non Center, New York, December 4, 1820. 
His parents were of English extraction on 
both sides of the house. Lewis E. Brigham 
was a contractor and carpenter, and was 
educated in the public schools of his native 
state. The subject's parents reared a fam- 
ily consisting of eight sons and one daugh- 
ter, Robert O., our subject, being the sev- 
enth in order of birth. The subject's father 
died in Clinton, New York, February 22, 
1907, at the age of eighty-seven years. His 
wife was born in that city April 29, 1825. 
She was educated in the common schools 
in her native community. The parents of 
the subject were married in 1843 m tne state 
of Xew York. The mother of our subject, 
an elderly woman of beautiful Christian 
character, is still living in Clinton, New 
York. 

Robert O. Brigham received his early ed- 
ucation in Clinton, New York, in the public 
schools. He quit school when fifteen years 
of age and went to Boston to learn the ma- 
chinist's trade. Here he took advantage of 
the Boston night schools and applied him- 
self with his accustomed vigor to technical 
drafting and the necessary commercial 
branches. He served his apprenticeship 
with the National Sewing Machine Com- 
pany, for which he worked for ten years, at 
the end of which time he was called to take 
charge of the Whitmore Sewing Machine 



Company, in the employ of which he contin- 
ued for one year ; the then went to Los An- 
geles, California, then to Denver, Colorado, 
and worked for W. E. Scott, machinery com- 
pany, having charge of the model and re- 
pair work, after which he worked for the 
J. C. Teller Envelope Opener Company, of 
Denver, Colorado. 

Robert O. Brigham invented an attach- 
ment to an envelope machine for placing a 
string in the envelope and then formed a 
company to put such an envelope on the 
market. The manufacture was continued 
with much success until 1896, when he and 
two other men bought the interest of the 
former manager, forming the Western En- 
velope and Box Company. They continued 
for one year in Denver, but finding that 
they were too far west for the successful 
working of such a plant, they moved to 
Omaha, Nebraska, remaining there one 
year, after which they moved to Centralia, 
Illinois. 

After operating the plant for eight years 
in Centralia, it was reorganized and called 
the Illinois Envelope Company, and moved 
to Kalamazoo, Michigan. After one year's 
residence in Kalamazoo, Mr. Brigham re- 
signed his position with the Illinois En- 
velope Company and returned to Centralia 
and helped to organize a new envelope 
company with only Centralia capital. This 
company is known as the Centralia Envelope 
Company, and is capitalized for one hun- 
dred thousand dollars, fully paid in. This 
company is now only two years old and is 
doing a thriving business. Its capacity at 



194 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OB 



the beginning was one and one-quarter mil- 
lion envelopes every ten hours, and has been 
increased to one and one-half million per 
day. The order for the machinery for the 
plant was the largest ever given at one time 
for a like enterprise. 

Theview accompanying this article is of 
thirty of the latest improved envelope ma- 
chines in the plant of the Centralia 1 p 
velope Company mill. These machines are 
marvels of ingenuity. The paper is cut to 
the proper size and shape, then taken to 
these machines in which they are gummed, 
folded, dncil and counted at the rate of one 
hundred to one hundred and thirty | 
minute, according to size. The picture 
show- only the envelope machine-. There 
Is. i a large printing department equipped 
with latest improved printing machinery 
and all the necessary equipment that gi 
tn make a complete printing establish- 
ment, cutting department, box department, 
case department, handfold department, ma- 
chine simp, in fact, everything that go< 
b i make up a complete envelope mill. 

The capacity of the mill, as aln 
stated, is one and one-half million envelopes 
\ ini hours, making it one of the largesl 
in the United States, and one of the lead 

ing industries of Si luthern [Him >is. it- g Is 

arc known far and wide for their high 
quality. 

This mill is owned and controlled b) 

ntralia capital. It- directors are com- 
posed of the following well known busi 
5 men : C. C. Davis, Ferdinand Kohl, Jr., 
Harry Warner. F. F. Noleman, Jacob 



Erbes, Ed Cornell, J. G. Goetsch. R. O. 
1 Ingham. W. E. O'Melveny. Officers: C. 
C. Davis, president; F. Kohl, Jr., vice pres- 
ident; II. M. Warner, secretary; Harry 
Kohl, treasurer; R. O. Brigham, general 
manager. 

Our subject is particularly well fitted to 
be manager of such a gigantic and SUCO 
ful enterprise. His native constructive abil- 
ity I'm' technical mechanics and intricate ma- 
chinery ha- eminently fitted him in this 
special line. His economic foresight of 
proper management, good machines, good 
workmen, good material .all contribute to 
the success of the company. 

All the machinery in the plant is modern, 
up-to-date in every respect, and high gi 
work is turned out rapidly. Our subject 
has had .a wide experience in the manage- 
ment (if such concerns. He is the originator 
and inventor of many of the improvements 
to he found in the present highly developed 
envelope machine. This company under his 
superior management now operates thirty 
envelope machines, ten printing presses ami 
ten box machines. The factory also ha- a 
complete machine -hop and repair depart- 
ment, also a complete case department. The 
buildings are two stories high, built of brick 
ami frame. The main building is two hun- 
dred feel long and fift) feet wide. The 
shipping ami stock room is one hundred ami 
thirty-five by eighty-five feet. A -witch 
from tin- mam track of the Illinois Central 
Railroad runs to the door of the big ship- 
ping room, all under cover of spacious 
sheds. The Illinois Southern track- also 



KICIII.AXI). CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



195 



run into the sheds of the shipping depart- 
ment. The machines of the plant are run 
and the buildings are lighted and heated by 
a one hundred and sixty-horse power steam 
plant and a sixty horse power engine. A 
four hundred light dynamo furnishes the 
lighting of the great plant. Eighty girls 
and twenty-five men and boys are constant- 
ly employed to operate the plant, the daily 
capacity of which is one million and five 
hundred thousand envelopes. 

This new but successful enterprising 
company was started by thirty-five of the 
business men of Centralia, and it is owned 
by Centralia people, being capitalized at 
one hundred thousand dollars, which was 
raised in a very short time. The capacity 
of each machine runs from sixty-five to sev- 
enty-five thousand each ten hours. It is an 
interesting plant in every detail and one of 
the rapidly growing large industrial con- 
cerns of Southern Illinois. 

Robert O. Brigham was married to Min- 
nie G. McDonald, the accomplished daugh- 
ter of James and Rebecca (Nicholson) Mc- 
Donald, a well known family of Ouincy, 
Illinois, to which family there were four 
children, Minnie being the youngest. To 
our subject and wife one daughter \v;» 
born, who passed away when eighteen years 
old. 

Our subject is a member of Centralia 
lodges. Knights of Pythias and the Benevo- 
lent and Protective Order of Elks. He 
served as a member of the school board for 
one term. In politics he is a Republican, 
and he was reared a Baptist, but he at pres- 



ent worships with the Christian Scientists, 
and is president of the Church Board of 
Centralia. His beautiful home just west of 
the Public Library is nicely furnished, be- 
ing also well filled with choicest books of 
an excellent variety, also a large number of 
beautiful oil paintings by his sister and 
daughter. He is a genial gentleman of 
good habits and modest demeanor. 



PHILIP HELT.MAX. 

An honorable retirement from labor in 
which to enjoy the fruits of former toil and 
the enjoyment which life can offer, is the 
fitting reward of a useful and active career, 
in which one, through keen discernment, in- 
defatigable labor and honorable methods 
advanced steadily toward the goal of pros- 
perity. Such, briefly stated, is the record 
of Philip Heltman. who is now living" re- 
tired in Olney, Richland county, and 
through his long connection with agricul- 
tural interests he not only carefully con- 
ducted his farm, but so managed its affairs 
that he acquired thereby a position among 
the substantial residents of the community. 
Moreover he is entitled to representation in 
this volume because he was one of the sons 
of tlie Northland who stood by the flag dur- 
ig the days of the rebellion. He came to 
this county over a half century ago. and 
from those early times down to the present 
day he has been an interested witness of its 
development, taking a just pride in what he 
has accomplished and the high rank the 



Old 



lUHCKAPIIKWI. AND REMINISCEN1 HISTORY OK 



county has among her sister counties ol the 
great Prairie state. 

Philip Heltman was born in Clermont 
county, Ohio, December 6, 1834, the son of 
John and Elizabeth (Weaver) Heltman, na- 
n\ es 1 if I 'ennsylvania, of < lerman parentage. 
John Heltman grew up in the old Keystone 
state and married there. In 1809 he emi- 
grated with his wife and two children to 
Cincinnati. Ohio, going down the Ohio 
river in skiffs. He was a distiller and came 
to Ohio for the purpose of following that 
business. This was in an early day, and he 
was obliged to take refuge in a fort in the 
Miami valley more than once on account oi 
the Indians. I Te later located on a farm 
which is now located in Clermont county. 
Ohio, near the Hamilton county line, where 
he died at the age of sixty-eight years, his 
wife having previously passed away in 1840. 
( >ur subject is the youngest of fourteen chil- 
dren and the only one living at this writing. 
He was about fifteen years of age when his 
father died. lie then went to live with an 
older hrother and was reared on a farm in 
1 lermont county, where he attended pub- 
lic school in the winer in an old log school- 
house, and one term in a frame, hut he ap- 
plied himself and laid a good foundation for 
an education which has later been added to 
by home reading and a contact with the 
world of men. 

In February, 1857. Mr. Heltman came to 
Richland county, [llinois, and soon after- 
ward bought over four hundred acres of 
raw land in Denver township, on which two 
log 1 ad been built. He at once began 



work on the place and in time made exten- 
sive and radical improvements. 

When the war between the states broke 
out, our subject was not long making up his 
mind to offer his services in behalf of the 
nation, consequently he enlisted in June. 
(86l, in Company D, Eleventh Missouri 
Volunteer Infantry, and after a faithful ser- 
vice was mustered out in Memphis. Tennes- 
see, in August, C864, and was paid off in 
St. Louis. Mis regiment was assigned to 
the Mississippi, and opened up the same. 
raising the blockade on Island No. 10. He 
soon afterward went to Tiptonville by 
transport, where his regiment took about 
five tin msand prist mers. 1 .ater Mr. 1 [eltman 
was in the siege of Corinth, his regiment 
forming the left wing of the army in the 
fighting there. It was later sent against 
Bragg and Trice at luka. where the Confed- 
erates were defeated. Then came the en- 
gagements at Raymond. Mississippi, the 
Siege of Vicksburg, and during the latter 
part of the siege this regiment was in front. 
\ ft ci- the surrender there, the regiment went 
to Jackson. Mississippi, and captured that 
place, the subject having charge of the pro- 
vosl guard the first night at Jacks, ,11. when 
the city was taken. It then returned to 
Vicksburg and soon afterward went up tin- 
Red river to Alexandria. After the Red 
river expedition, it was sent to Memphis 
where it was mustered out. and from which 
place our subject went home. 

After the war Mr. Heltman engaged in 
farming and stock raising for many years. 
making a success in these lines, for he was 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES. ILLINOIS. 



197 



a man of good judgment in buying and sell- 
ing stock, and a most careful farmer, be- 
sides a hard worker. He improved a good 
farm in Denver township, which he still 
owns, consisting of seven hundred and 
twenty acres, of very productive soil, having 
been so carefully ad skillfully tilled that the 
land is just as strong today as when he took 
possession of it. It is well fenced, has an 
excellent dwelling and outbuildings on it. in 
fact, everything about the place shows that 
a man of thrift and energy has had its man- 
agement in hand. 

In October. 1874, Mr. Heltman located 
in Olney, owning one hundred and twenty 
acres of valuable land just outside the city 
limits and eight acres within the city limits, 
on which he lives. He has a beautiful resi- 
dence where the many friends of the family 
often gather and always find good cheer and 
hospitality unstintingly dispersed. All this 
Mr. Heltman has made unaided, and in a 
most honorable manner, therefore he de- 
serves the great credit he is given by his 
friends who are limited only by the circle of 
his acquaintance. 

Mr. Heltman's married life began in 
1854 when he was united in the bonds of 
wedlock with Laura E. Smith, a native of 
Clermont county. Ohio, the daughter of Or- 
rin Smith. Four children have blessed the 
home of Mr. and Mrs. Heltman. namely: 
Georgiana. the wife of William J. Eichin, 
of Olney. Illinois ; Cora is the second child : 
Mamie is residing in Arvada, a suburb of 
Denver, Colorado: Hattie is the wife of 
Benjamin Holscher, of Linton. Indiana. 



In politics our subject was a Republican 
all his life up to 1896, since which time he 
has voted the Democratic ticket, except in 
1904, when he voted the Prohibition ticket. 
He says he is a Lincoln Republican or a 
Bryan Democrat — one and the same thing 
— and he has always taken an active interest 
in politics. He has served several terms on 
the Board of County Supervisors from 
Denver and Olney townships. He is a mem- 
ber of the Protestant Methodist church, as 
is also his noble wife. His children are 
members of the Episcopal church. 

Mr. Heltman won definite success in life 
because he persevered in the pursuit of a 
worthy purpose, gaining thereby a most sat- 
isfactory reward. His life is exemplary in 
every respect, and he has always supported 
those interests which are calculated to uplift 
and benefit humanity, while his own moral 
worth is deserving of the highest commen- 
dation. 



WILLIAM J. MARTIN. 

A list of Marion county's prominent fami- 
lies would certainly be incomplete were there 
failure to make specific mention of the well 
known farmer and representative citizen, 
and his relatives, whose name introduces 
this sketch, for his life has been one of use- 
fulness and honor, resulting in good to 
everyone with whom he has had dealings 
whether in business or social life. 

William J. Martin was born in Gibson 
county. Tennessee. January 15, 1859, the 



ig8 



a R VPH li \l. AND REMINISCENl II [STORY OF 



son of Caleb and Martha J. (McHaney) 
Martin, the latter a native of middle Ten- 
nessee and the former of South Carolina. 
Jacob Martin, the subject's paternal grand- 
father, came to Tennessee from South Caro- 
lina in an early day and farmed there until 
his death. The parents of the subject mar- 
ried in Tennessee. Martha McHaney was 
the daughter of William McHaney. a native 
of Tennessee. She first married David 
Young, who died and left two children, 
Frances, the wife of Atlas Hammond. The 
second child died in infancy. Caleb Martin 
first married Miss Susan Batie, who died 
leaving the following children: Jacob, 
George, Amos, America, lane. Parthene, 
Martha and Mary Su 

The parents of our subject married in 
Tennessee and in November, [862, settled in 
Salem township, Marion county, Illinois. 
Caleb Martin was a strong Union man and 
left the South on account of the war. His 
wife, a noble old lady, is still living with 
her son, our subject. The subject's father 
farmed in Marion county, Illinois, until his 
death, Jul) 1 1. [888. I fe and his wife were 
members of the Christian church. He was 
trong Republican. Six children were 
born to Mr. and Mrs. Caleb Martin, as fol- 
lows: William J., our subject; Monroe, 
Houston, Benjamin Van Buren, John A. 
Logan, Sarah Ida. 

• Mil- subject wa> about three years old 

when the family came to Illinois. They 

made the trip fn 'in Tennessee w ith ox teams 

i camped out on the way, having all ox 

ins with the exception of one team of 



>es. William J. Martin was reared on 

his father's farm and educated in the com- 
mon district schools of this county. On 
farm now stands the little old school 
house in which he was educated. He pur- 
sed u and moved it on this place, which 
he now uses for a store house and granary. 
It was built about [850. Mr. Martin re- 
mained at home and worked on the farm 
until he was twenty-live years old. This 
was in 1884, in which year his happy and 
harmonious domestic life began, having then 
married Elizabeth Hershberger, who was 
horn in Crawford county, Ohio, the daugh- 
ter of Henry and Catherine (Suavely 1 
Hershberger. (For a full history of this 
family the reader is directed to the sketch 
of David Hershberger in this work. 1 

Four children have been born to the sub- 
ject ami wife, namely: Minnie, born Oc- 
tober 3, [886, is a member of the home 
circle; Claude was born in April, [888, and 
died in January, 1895; William Franklin 
was born December _'(>, [S90, and died 
January [6, [89] ; Nellie Zada, born August 
14, |N<)_\ is at home attending school. 
Mr. Martin's highly improved and pro- 
ductive farm consists of one hundred and 
sixty acres. He has a beautiful country 
home, substantial, comfortable and nicely 
furnished, and a good barn and other con- 
venient out buildings, everything about the 
place showing thrift, good management and 
industry. He keeps an excellent grade of 
cattle and other live stock, and is regarded 

.1- a g 1 judge of stock and one of the 

leading farmers of Salem township. His 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



[<)«) 



hogs are of good breed and he raises some 
tine horses. Air. Martin also owns two hun- 
dred acres of his father's old farm in this 
township, which he keeps well improved and 
the soil in good productive condition. 

Mr. and Airs. Martin are members of the 
Christian church at Young's chapel. Mr. 
Martin is a trustee in the church and a 
liberal subscriber to the same. In politics 
he is a Republican. In the social and pri- 
vate walks of life no man bears a more 
enviable reputation for sterling worth. In 
short. Mr. Martin is an honorable, upright 
citizen, belonging to the somewhat rare class 
that direct and control public sentiment 
without pushing himself forward and with- 
out incurring the ill will of those with 
whom they come in contact and leave the 
impress of their strong personality indelibly 
stamped upon the community, winning the 
friendship of all classes. 



DANIEL GAFFNER. 

The hmored subject of this sketch is now- 
living in retirement in Olney. Illinois, en- 
joying the respite due the closing of a long 
and useful business career. He has been 
prominently identified with industrial move- 
ments of no mean scope and importance and 
the name which he bears has stood for pro- 
gressiveness and large enterprise ever since 
the pioneer days in this section of the state. 
while he is a scion of an old family of Swit- 
zerland, being numbered among that ele- 



ment of foreigners in this country who have 
greatly benefited America by their pres- 
ence. So important have been the business 
and industrial undertakings with which he 
had been connected, and so high is the confi- 
dence and esteem in which lie is held in Rich- 
land count)-, that it is imperative that he be 
accorded recognition in a publication like 
the present volume. 

Daniel Gaffner was born in tnterlacken, 
Switzerland, Jul)- 7. [831, the son of Daniel 
and Elizabeth (Gerber) Gaffner, also na- 
tives of Switzerland where they lived and 
died. The subject's father was a farmer in 
the mountains of that country and was sev- 
enty-eight years old when he died, his wife 
having died at the age of seventy-five. The 
family of ( iaffner was originally French, one 
branch passing to Switzerland man)- years 
ag 1. The father of the subject was in the 
military service of his country for smne time. 
Grandfather Gerber was of Swiss birth and 
parentage, but took part in a number of bat- 
tles under Napoleon. A remarkable fact is 
that the subject remembers the funeral of his 
grandfather who died in [833, when the sub- 
ject was a trifle over two years old. Seven 
children were born to the parents of the sub 
ject, live of whom grew to maturity, Daniel 
being the fourth in order of birth. Three 
members of the family came to the United 
States. 

Our subject was reared in his native land 
on a farm and there developed that sturdy 
manhood and sterling character that have 
made for his later success in new environ- 
ments. He received a common school educa- 



JOO 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



rion. He left home when sixteen years old 
and was apprenticed to a shoemaker, at 
which trade he worked in several parts of 
Switzerland. When twenty-three years old 
lie came t< i the United States, landing in New 
York and went direct to La Porte, Indiana, 
w here he arrived without money. I [is father 
was reluctant to have him come to America. 
but after consenting gave him money enough 
to pay his passage, lie at once began work 
at his trade in LaPorte, but soon afterward 
went tn Highland, Illinois, where he worked 
for three years, being regarded as a high 
grade workman by his employers. In [858 
he camel lOlneyand resumed working at his 
trade, but at the end of two years he went to 
Edwards ci luntj 1 in acci >unt of failing health. 
having traded property in Olney fur a two- 
hundred-acre farm. Two years later he sold 
the -ante fur two thousand two hundred and 
lifty dollars, besides realizing about one thou- 
sand dollars from his personal property. 
Thus we see how our subject prospered from 
tlie first in his adopted enntry. His next 
move was to Albion, where he w 1 irked at his 
trade fur three years, having been in partner- 
ship -lie year in a shoe shop and St ire. lie 
had bought property in Albion which he 
traded for property in Olney, then taking up 
his permanent residence in the latter town 
where he has since resided continuously, hav- 
ing carried on business here in a most suc- 
cessful manner fur many years. He first 
1 pened a -hue ~t ire and later was engaged 
in wholesale and retail hide and leather busi- 
ness, gradually accumulating propertj In 
[882 he huili a three-story brick limine" 



block "ii Main street, twenty by eighty-five 

feet with a g 1 basement, in addition t" 

a large warehouse. It is one of the 

i pretentious blocks in < Unej . mi idem, 

substantia] and o mvenient. I te alsi 1 1 w ns an- 
other brick hi' ick two >t'nie> in height, twenty 
by 1 me hundred and eighty-five feet, located 
1 hi Main street. Me also owns a valuable 
building, thirty by one hundred and eighty 
feet, mi Yaile avenue, together with two 
M'Hv^ mi Railroad street, besides valuable 
residence property, lie i> one of the stock- 
holders of the First National Bank and for 
smiie years was one of it> directors. 

Mr. Gartner was first married in [852 to 
Susanna Schneiter, a native of Switzerland, 

w lr 1 came to the I 'nitcd States w ith her la 
ther. her mother having died in Switzerland. 
'In the subject and hi- first wife six chil- 
dren were born, four of win mi are living, as 
follows: Robert, a druggist in Olney; fell. 
Charles and \\ alter, all reside in Seattle, 
Washington. They are all \ mng men of 
much business ability. Their father gave 
each niie ten thousand dollars t" start them 
in life. 

Mrs. ( iaffher passed t' 1 her rest in August, 
[898, and the subject subsequently married 
Mr-. Fannie (Suardet) Emerson, who was 
born in he \ and. Switzerland, of French- 
Huguenot descent, who came to the United 
States with a brother, who soon afterward 
went tn California during the gold excite 
inciii ami subsequentlj died there 

Mr. ( iaffher is a Republican in politics, but 
he ha> never aspired ti > public 1 iffice and he is 
n> it a partisan, believing in men rather than 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



20 1 



measures. His first presidential vote was for 
Stephen A. Douglas. Mr. Gaffner was reared 
in the German Reformed church. His wife 
is a member of the Presbyterian church. 

This review of Air. Gaffer's life history is 
necessarily general in its character. To enter 
fully into the interesting details of his ca- 
reer would require a much larger space than 
possible in this volume. Sufficient, however. 
has been stated to show that he is entitled 
to a place in the front ranks of successful men 
who have engaged in industries in Richland 
■county. He, by his pluck, energy and enter- 
prise, controlled by correct principles and 
founded upon unswerving honor, has at- 
tained to a position meriting the respect and 
admiration of his fellow citizens which they 
gladly give. 



FRANCIS M. PURCELL. 

The subject is a representative business 
man and citizen of Marion county, man- 
aging one of the largest lumber establish- 
ments in the county, the well known firm 
1 icing F. M. Purcell & Company, doing 
business at Kell. Our subject was born in 
Wilson county. Tennessee. July 2. 1843, 
the son of Hiram and Parthena (Williams) 
Purcell, natives of Tennessee, and a fine old 
Southern family. Hiram was a prosperous 
fanner and lived and died in Tennessee. 
He and his faithful life companion were 
members of the Missionary Baptist church. 
The subject's father was a gallant soldier 



in the Seminole Indian war in Florida. To 
Air. and Mrs. Hiram Purcell five children 
were born, namely: Lavina, Ella; Frances 
M., our subject; L. B. and Hiram. 

The subject's father first married a Miss 
Ji mes and they became the parents of two 
children, Eliza and Henry. 

Our subject grew up in Tennessee on a 
farm. He remained in that state on a farm 
until he was twenty-seven years old. In 
1870 he came to Jefferson county. Illinois, 
and engaged in farming, also the lumber 
business, making a success of each. In the 
fall of 1904, he came to Kell. Illinois, 
where he is now located and where he has 
built up an extensive business by means of 
his industry, his careful methods and fair 
treatment of customers. He is in partner- 
ship with Omer V. Cummings in the lum- 
ber business. They supply a large scope of 
country with lumber and all kinds of build- 
ing material as well as much hardware. 
They also handle paints, cement, lime, nails, 
in fact, even-thing that a builder uses in a 
house, barn or other structure. They al- 
ways handle a good line of material and 
their prices are always right, according to 
the statement of many of their customers. 
Thev have extensive sheds and their office 
is a nice place and is always a busy place. 

Our subject's happy domestic life began 
in 1866. when he was united in marriage 
with America Penuel. who was born in 
Tennessee, the daughter of Frederick and 
Lucinda (Jennings) Penuel. natives of that 
state. 

Eight children have been burn to the sub- 



J( 12 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT MIslnKY OF 



jecl and wife as follows: Amanda, the wife 
of W. W. Hay, who lives in Jefferson 
county, this state; Samuel married Dora Ri- 
and they live in Carrier Mills, Illinois; 
Lucinda is the wife of George Snyder, liv- 
ing in Jefferson county, Illinois; Rob 
married \nna McCormick, and they a 
live in Jefferson count] Otis J. married 
Josie Hawkins; William Edgar is single; 
Nora is the wife of Adolphus < 'aid well, also 
of Jefferson county; Fred is sing i 

Mr. and Mrs. Purcell are members of 
the Missionary Baptist church. The former 
Democrat. He very ably served 
for six years as Supervisor of Rome town- 
ship, Jefferson county, this state, lie was 
chairman of the Board of Supervisors for 
year. He takes considerable interest in 
political matters and his advice is often 
sought in the local affairs of his county. 
In his fraternal relations he is a member of 
the Masonic Order, the Knights Templar. 

Mr. Purcell owns a valuable and well 
improved farm, near Kell, "it which he 
lives, having a modern, substantial and nice- 
ly furnished dwelling, an excellent bam and 
convenient out-buildings. lie is a very 
\ man. for he successfull) conducts the 

airs "f his lumber establishment in town 

d at the same tune superintends the work 
"ii the place, being an excellent judge of live 
stock "i all kinds, and he is regarded as one 
of the leading business men of Haines 
township. He deserves much credit for 
what he has accomplished, having started 
in life under none too favorable circum- 
stances. 1 nit he has been a hard worker and 



a good manager and success has attended 
his efforts from the first, lie is a gentle- 
man of pleasing demeanor, easily ap- 
proached, and while nol an aspirant for 
high political favors, he has done much in 
a quiel way. as already intimated, to pro- 
mote the g 1 of the community where he 

He occupies a commendable stand- 

ni"!!-" his fellow citizens and has a 

large circle of friends who have learned to 

esteem him for his industry and many 

manly qualitii 



KENNETH D. HORRALL. 

Kenneth I). Horrall, the well known 
hardware merchant of < >lney, II 
which business he established in [856, and 
which he has conducted continuously ever 
-nice m a most successful manner, his busi- 
ness having steadily grown from a modes! 
beginning until now u is one of large pro- 
portions. He carries a stock of about fif- 
teen thousand dollars, often reaching twenty 
thousand dollars, his store room being twen- 
ty bj one hundred and sixty-five feet, and 
two floors, and one hundred feet on three 
In 1866 he erected his present brick 
block. Mis is the oldest business in Olney, 
and the oldest hardware business in Rich- 
land a >unty. I lis business is know n all over 
the county, and his customers come from all 
sections of this locality. 

Kenneth D. Horrall was born near Wash 
ington, Daviess county, Indiana. June 9> 



RICHLAND. CLAY AND MARION" COUNTIES. ILLINOIS. 



203 



1838, the son of John and Rebecca (John- 
son) Horrall, the former a native of Vir- 
ginia and the latter of Illinois. They were 
among the early settlers of this section of the 
state, being sterling pioneers and people of 
force of character. The father of the sub- 
ject served in the wars under General Har- 
rison and took part in the battle of Tippe- 
caoe. He devoted his life to farming and 
died in Daviess county, Indiana, at the age 
of fifty-two years. His wife survived him 
for several years and passed to rest while 
living in Richland county. Illinois, at the ad- 
vanced age of eighty-five years. Our sub- 
ject was the youngest of seven children, 
only two of whom are living at this writing. 

Mr. Horrall was reared in his native state 
and was educated in the country schools, 
where he applied himself in such a manner 
as to gain an education despite lack of op- 
portunities. When he was fourteen years 
old he came to Olney and entered the hard- 
ware store of John Hanks in order to learn 
the tinner's trade, at which he worked suc- 
cessfully for about fifteen years. In 1856 he 
began business for himself in a small way, 
having a stock of about three hundred dol- 
lars. He built up his business to its present 
proportions by years of hard work and 
close application to business, and by his fair 
treatment of customers. 

In politics our subject is a Republican, 
but he has never been active in his party's 
affairs. However, he served very faithfully 
for two years as a member of the City 
Council. He is a member of the Methodist 
Episcopal church, having held about all the 



offices in the same and he has been one of 
the main pillars of this church. 

Mr. Horrall's domestic relations began 
in 1858 when he was married to Sarah J. 
Baird, a native of Olney. Illinois, and the 
daughter of Asa and Lucy I Tanner) Baird. 
natives of Vermont, who were among the 
pioneers of Richland county, where they 
spent their active and useful lives, and where 
they died. Asa Baird was a contractor and 
he built a large part of the national road 
to Vincennes. At one time he was one of 
the officials of the county. His death oc- 
curred in 1849. His wife was a relative of 
ex-Governor fanner. 

The subject and his wife are the parents 
of seven children, namely: Adelbert, 
George Lewis. Charles Asa : Carrie, de- 
ceased : Edward Eugene. Walter Lewis and 
Henry Cliff. Adelbert. Charles and Walter 
assist their father in the management of his 
large store. Adelbert is bookkeeper, having 
graduated in a business college in Buffalo. 
Xew York. George is a tinner by trade and 
he manages a farm two mile< north of Ol- 
ney. which is owned by himself and father. 
It is a valuable farm, well improved and 
highly cultivated. Charles also learned the 
tinner's trade and also telegraphy. Edward 
is a druggist and owns and operates a drug 
More at Decatur. Illinois. Henry Cliff is 
engaged in the hardware business at liridge- 
port, Illinois. These children have all re- 
ceived good educations and are well estab- 
lished in life. 

Xo man in Richland county is better or 
more favorably known than Air. Horrall. 



-•"I 



BIOGK VPHICAL AND Kl MINIS! ! \ C HIS fOR'i 01 



Because of his public spirit, his honestj in 
all his dealings with his fellow men, his gen- 
erous and kindly nature, he has won and re- 
tained a host of warm personal friends 



throughoul this locality. 



HARVEY D. MAY. 



By a life of persistent and well applied 
industry led along the most honorable lines, 
the gentleman whose name appears above 
has justly earned the right to be repre- 
sented in a wi »rk of the character of the 
one at hand, along with the other men of 
Marion county who have made their in- 
fluence felt in their respective communities. 

Harvey I >. May. the present popular 
Trustee of Haines township and a well 
known dealer in harness, saddlery and hard- 
ware in the town of Kell, Illinois, was born 
in Raccoon township, Marion county, Oc- 
tober i-'. [879, and while yet a young man 
he lias shown what properly applied energy 
and a business mind can do toward wrench- 
ing success from seeming insurmountable 
obstacles. He is the son of Jesse H. and 
Mary (Williams) May, the former a native 
of Kentucky and the latter of Tennessee. 
Anders, m May. the subject's grandfather, 
wa> also .1 native of Kentucky and was one 
of the early settlers in Marion county, Illi- 
nois, having settled in Raccoon township. 
Jesse H. May, who has devoted his life to 
fanning and 1- still living in that township, 
is a highly respected citizen. Three chil- 



dren were born to the parents of our subject, 
Amos is a farmer in Raccoon township; 
Laura, who is deceased, was the wife of 
Orvil Prater, and they were the parents of 
two children, Etha and Henry, who are still 
living; Harvey D., our subject, was the 
second child. 

Our subject was reared on a farm where 
he assisted with the work about the place. 
IK- attended school in Raccoon township, 
having applied himself in such a manner 
a- to gain the foundation for a good edu- 
cation. Deciding early in life that he de- 
sired to be a harness maker and dealer, Mr. 
May learned the harnessmaker's trade and 
became quite a proficient workman early in 
life, and he finally opened a shop in 
Kell, this county, establishing his present 
business, in which he was successful from 
the first and which has steadily grown, his 
business now extending through a wide 
scope of country on every hand, owing to 
the fair dealing he gives his customers and 
the intimate knowledge he has of the har- 
ness business. He does a general repair 
business and is always very busy. His shop 
is equipped with all the latest appliances and 
improvements known to the harnessmaker's 
art and his work is all of a high grade. 

Mr. Ma\'s domestic life was begun in 
[903, when he was united in marriage with 
\\a Williams, who was born in Jefferson 
county. Illinois, and is the daughter of N. A. 
and Jane ( Rice) Williams. Mrs. May was 
called from her earthly labors January 14, 
[908. She was a member of the Baptist 
church. She was a woman of many esti- 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



205 



mable traits of character, a good wife and 
was beloved by all her neighbors. 

Mr. May is a member of Romine Lodge 
No. 663, Independent Order of Odd Fel- 
lows. He has represented this lodge at the 
Grand Lodge on two different occasions, 
and has passed all the chairs in the local 
lodge. Our subject is a loyal Republican 
and has taken considerable interest in his 
party's affairs. He was elected Trustee of 
Haines township in the spring of 1908. He 
is regarded as an energetic, honest and in- 
fluential citizen, enjoying the respect of all 
who know him. 



ELI BRUBAKER. 



The man who has made a success of life 
and won the honor and esteem of his fel- 
low citizens deserves more than passing 
notice. Such is the record, briefly stated, 
of the gentleman whose name heads this 
review, the record he left behind being one 
of honor in every respect, for a mi >re 
whole-souled and popular man never lived 
in Stevenson township where he long main- 
tained his home and where he labored for 
the general good of the community, and, 
although his life work has been closed by 
the good angel, who has set the seal on the 
record of his life history, his influence still 
permeates the lives of those who knew him 
best and loved him for his fortitude, fidel- 
ity, honor and industry. 

Eli Brubaker was born in Fairfield 



county, Ohio, December 11, 1819, and he 
was called from his earthly labors in 1907, 
after a long and eminently useful and suc- 
cessful life. He was the son of Abraham and 
Elizabeth (Myers) Brubaker, and was 
reared on his father's farm in Ohio, where 
he assisted with the work about the place un- 
til he reached manhood, attending the com- 
mon schools in the neighborhood until he 
received a fairly good education, such as the 
old pioneer schools of those times afforded. 
The school house which he attended had 
puncheon seats and greased paper was used 
fur window panes. For a full history of 
the Brubaker family the reader is referred 
to the sketch of Noah Brubaker, which ap- 
pears in another part of this volume. 

The subject of this sketch came to Ma- 
rion county, Illinois, in 1843, an d settled 
among the pioneers on new land in Steven- 
son township, where, by dint of hard work, 
he made a home and developed a good 
farm. The old Brubaker homestead is to- 
day one of the best farms in Stevenson 
township. Eli Brubaker was a hard worker 
and an excellent farmer, and he made a 
comfortable living. 

Our subject was first married to Marx- 
Ann Warner January 20, 1842, daughter 
of William Warner, an early settler of Ma- 
rion county. Illinois. She was born in 
Lancaster county, Ohio. She passed to her 
rest in 1872. She was the mother of 
eleven children, namely: Isaac, who lives in 
Iuka, this state; Christina, deceased; Annie. 
E.. widow of Shannon Kagy, lives in Ste 
venson township; William is a prospi 






BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



Farmer in Stevenson township; Edgar and 
Edward are twins; Logan is a farmer, liv- 
ing in Stevenson township; Mary Jam- is 
the eighth child; the ninth, tenth and eli 
enth child died in infancy. 

( >n February 4. [875, the subject married 
.1 second time, his last wife being Emma 
Squibb, who wa^ born in Ohio county, In- 
diana, the daughter of George Y. and Mary 
Ann (Harpham) Squibb, native- of tndi 
ana. who moved to Stevenson township, 
Man'. in county, Illinois, where the mother 
is still living, the father having died soon 
after coming to this county. Mrs. I'.ru- 
baker is living on the old homestead in 
Stevenson township, which she manages 
successfully. 

Our subject was a member of the Cum- 
berland Presbyterian church and a liberal 
supporter of the same, lie was a good 
everyday Christian, always strictly honest in 
his dealings with his fellow men. a g 1 

ghbor, father and husband. In politics 
he was a Di t, but never held office. 

The different members of his family are well 
settled in life and are highly respected in 
their respective communities. They reflect 
greal credit upon their parents, who gave 
them every advantage possible, and no 
doubt they will ever uphold the honor of 
the family name which is one of the high 
est integrity. 

The subject of this -ketch was a member 
of the Cumberland Presbyterian church and 
was ordained elder in this church in I047. 
lie was superintendent of the Sunday school 
at Brubaker chapel for the long period of 



over fort\ two years, after which he was 
elected honorary superintendent for life. Ik- 
was a leader in church work for many years 
and was foremost in promoting everything 
which makes for the betterment of human- 
ity. It was largely due to his efforts that 
the new and modern church edifice was 
erected and dedicated June 20, 1896, which 
lie christened New Bethel, he not only do- 
nating the land, consisting of four acres for 
the manse, hut also gave freely of his ser- 
\ ices and money to the building fund. 

Mr. Brubaker gave each of his children 
a farm. 



SAMUEL MARION HOLT. 

The subject of this review, who. though 
past the meridian of life many years, is still 
in the same physical and mental vigor that 
have characterized his earlier years of en- 
deavor and he is almost as capable in bear- 
in- his part in the concerns of his neighbor- 
hood as he was in former days. 

Samuel Marion Holt is a native of Ma- 
rion county, having been horn in Foster 
township. June 25, [845, the son of John F. 
Holt, who was horn in Georgia in 1806, and 
came to Marion county. Illinois, when a 
young man. where he took up government 
land in Foster township, settling on North 
Fork creek among the pioneers, there being 
then onl) four families here, the first settlers 
of this creek being Isaac Agan. I lardy Fos- 
ter. John F. Holt and Moses Garrett. The 
subject's grandfather was Harmon Holt, 



RI( HLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES. ILLINOIS. 



20/ 



who was born in Georgia and came to Ma- 
rion cmmty, Illinois, where he died at a 
ripe old age. He was of Irish descent. Har- 
mon Holt's wife was named Ibby Holt, 
whom he married in Georgia. The maiden 
name of the subject's mother was Elizabeth 
Jones, who was born in the state of Dela- 
ware, and who came with her parents to St. 
Clair count}'. Illinois, when five years old. 
Eleven children were born to the subject's 
parents, five of whom are living. They are: 
Martha. Henry. Mary, Matilda, Harmon. 
Salina, Samuel M.. Sally. John D.. Hardy 
F. (twins) and Isabelle. 

The Indians made a treaty with the gov- 
ernment to hunt in the new country which 
was still partly a wilderness after his par- 
ents had come. Our subject spent his early 
life on his father's farm and attended the 
common schools, such as they were in those 
early days. When he reached maturity he 
married, on July 21, 1864. Susan F. Atkins, 
who was born in Marion county, July 16, 
1847. T ' ie daughter of John Atkins, who 
was born in Franklin county, Tennessee. He 
moved to Alabama with his parents when a 
boy. He was about thirty years of age 
when he came to Illinois and took up gov- 
ernment land. He was the father of four 
children, an equal number of boys and girls. 
He spent the remainder of his life here, with 
the exception of the last fifteen years, dying 
at the age of seventy-three years, in Texas. 
where he had gone fifteen years previous. 

Our subject is the father of seven chil- 
dren, named in order of birth as follows: 
Alary M., who married Eli M. Arnold, liv- 



ing in Shawnee, Oklahoma, and who are the 
parents of five children; Margaret E., who 
married Oscar Chance, of Salem, Illinois, 
and who is the mother of six children ; 
Emma F., who married James A. Arnold, 
living in Fort Worth, Texas, and the mother 
of two children ; Rhoda A., who mar- 
ried Ed. Jones, of Salem. Illinois, and who 
is the mother of two children; John A. was 
married to Maud Davis. December 13, 1908, 
and lives at home; the sixth child was an 
infant, who died unnamed: Lulu R., the 
young'est child, is the wife of Will Harkey, 
who lives in Fayette county, near St. Peter, 
this state, and she is the mother of one son. 

Our subject is the owner of a fine landed 
estate in Kinmundy township, consisting of 
three hundred and eighty-five acres, of well 
improved land, which he has successfully 
managed until it is one of the most valuable 
farms in the township, being under a high 
state of improvement and the 1 fields well 
fenced and well drained. Much good stock 
of various kinds is to be seen in the sub- 
ject's barns and fields, and he always keeps 
gi " 'd horses, cattle and hogs. He has an ele- 
gant and comfortable dwelling which is 
nicely furnished and is surrounded by a 
beautiful yard and convenient out-buildings, 
in fact, the entire place has an air of evident 
thrift and prosperity. 

Our subject is a Democrat in his political 
affiliations and he has long taken an active 
part in his party's affairs. His wife is a 
devout Christian and a faithful mother, be- 
ing a member of the Methodist Episcopal 
church. Mr. Holt is not a member of the 



2< 18 



BIOGRAPHK \l. Wl> REMINISCENT HISTORV 01 



church and does nol hold to any Orthodox 
creed, yet he is a believer in good citizen- 
ship, honesty and fair dealing and is highly 

respected for his g 1 citizenship. The 

different members of the family are well 
settled in life and highly esteemed in their 
respective communities. They reflect great 
credit upon their parents and no doubt will 
ever uphold the honor of the family name, 
which thus far has nol been dimmed by the 
commission of a single unworthy act. 



Z. C. JENNINGS. 

The life history of the subject of this 
-ketch goes hack to the pioneer days, since 
which Mr. Jennings has been a very potent 
factor in the affairs of Marion county, in 
which he is regarded as a foremost citizen 
in everj respect, therefore, for many rea- 
sons, it is deemed entirely consistent to give 
him conspicuous mention in this volume. 

Z. C. Jennings was horn February 14. 
[838, in Marion comity, Illinois. Israel Jen- 
nings, the subject's grandfather, was a na 
tiveof Maryland and when he reached young 
manhood went to the State of Kentucky and 
while at Marvsville married Mary Waters 
in 1808. In 1818 he came to Marion county, 
Illinois, and -ettled six miles southeasl of 
itralia, being among the very firsl set- 
tlers there, having Indian- as his neighbors, 
and the funded in an abun- 

dance of wild game. He was one of the 
squ Walnut I [ill until [827. This 



section was then a pari of Jefferson county. 
It was lu-re that Mr. Jennings entered land, 
which he developed and where he died in 
[860. His first wife passed away in 1844 
and he married a second time, his last wife 
being Lear Sterling, of Centralia, this 
county. There were no children by his sec- 
ond wife. The following are the names 
of the children by his first wife: Israel, 
Jr., who married a Miss Davidson, was the 
father of eleven children; Charles \Y.. the 
subject's father; William W. left home in 
1847 and went to Wisconsin. lie was in the 
mining, mercantile and grain business, in 
which lie made a fortune. In 1853 he went 
to California and engaged in gold mining, 
hut on account of failing health and trou- 
ble with his eyes, came back to Marion 
county where he remained for several years. 
,1! inie time engaging in railroad contract- 
ing- in northern Missouri, hi [86l he en- 
listed in the Union army and served during 
the war, after which he settled in Marion 
county and in 1875 he went to Austin 
county. Texas, where he lived until 1890, 
when he came to Alvin. Illinois, and built 
1 modern home, having become prosperous. 
lie firsl married Margaret Xolcinan. The 
date 1 if In- death was 0)04. He was highly 
respected by all. Ann. the third child of 
the subject's grandfather, married Rufus 
Mi I'lwain. a farmer in Centralia township, 
who later lived at Salem, this comity. Mary. 
the fourth child, who was known as "Aunt 
Polly," married a Mr. White. They lived 
near Walnut Hill where he conducted a tan- 
yard. John, the fifth child, died when he 




MR. AND MRS. Z. rENNINGS. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



209 



reached maturity. The sixth child died 
when young. In Marion county, in the 
early days, no citizen was more prominent 
than Israel Jennings, who was one of the 
largest land owners of the county. He was 
a faithful member of the Methodist church, 
and a good Democrat. In 1827 he was 
elected a member of the Legislature when 
Vandalia was the capital of the state. He 
was a member of the house contemporane- 
ous with Peter Cartwright. He was post- 
master at Walnut Hill, Illinois, for many 
years, beginning in 1834. He was a slave- 
holder and owned the only male slave ever 
held in this county. He came here before 
there were any steam railroads, but during 
his life he noted wonderful changes, being 
instrumental in bringing about much of the 
progress of the county. He opened a store 
and gave dry goods and groceries in ex- 
change for produce which he hauled to St. 
Louis by wagon, bringing back supplies. At 
the time of his coming to this county he 
had two daughters who had reached ma- 
turity. The)' were taken sick while he was 
away in Shawneetown on one of his usual 
trips and one of them died. There was no 
lumber in the community, so a white-oak 
tree was cut and a coffin hewn from it. in 
which to bury the young lady, whose grave 
is on the old place he owned. He was 
known to be a very eccentric man. and ten 
years before his death he bought a metallic 
coffin, which he kept in the house until his 
death, and he was buried in it, dying April 
20. 1872. His wife died April 3. 1885. 
Charles W. Jennings, the subject's father, 
14 



was born in Kentucky, and he came to Ma- 
rion county, Illinois, with his parents, set- 
tling one-half mile from his father, where 
he made a home, and became owner of nine 
hundred acres of land. He married Mariah 
Davidson, a native of Kentucky, and the fol- 
lowing children were born to them: Sarah, 
deceased, married Capt. R. D. Noleman, 
who is also deceased ; Josephus \V., deceased, 
was born October 29, 1827, lived on the old 
place and was educated in the district 
schools. He was a merchant at Walnut 
Hill, Illinois, until 1856, when he moved to 
a farm one-half mile west of that place, 
where he died November 20, 1890. He 
married Amanda Couch, who was born 
January 8, 1834, the daughter of Milton and 
Mary (Beard) Couch. They were the par- 
ents of the following children : Edgar, 
Frank, Mary, Lizzie and Nancy. Harriett, 
the third child, married B. F. Marshall, who 
lived at Salem, Illinois. They are both de- 
ceased. Maria E. married Silas Bryan, who 
was county Judge, and lived at Salem, Illi- 
nois; Z. C, the subject of this biographical 
sketch, was the fifth in order of birth. Nan- 
cy married James Davenport, who is de- 
ceased. She is living at Salem, this county. 
America married William C. Stites. Both 
are now deceased. Docia married Alram 
Van Antwerp, who is deceased. She is 
living in St. Louis, Missouri. 

The subject's father was a man of excel- 
lent business ability and a good manager, 
he having become wealthy. He was a mem- 
ber of the Methodist Episcopal church and 
in politics was a Democrat. 



_>ll) 



BIOGRAPHIC \1. AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



Z. C. JenningSj the subject of this sketch. 
grew to manhood on the old home place and 
was educated in the home schools and the 
high schools at Salem and Centralia. When 
twenty-two years old he married Mary J. 
Baldridge, daughter of James C. Baldridge, 
of North Carolina, and Margaret (Rain 
Baldridge. a native of Kentucky. At the 
age of nine year-. James C. Baldridge came 
to Marion county with his parents. Dorn- 
ton and Mary ( Boggs) Baldridge, who set- 
tled near Walnut Hill, Illinois. James Bal 
dridge and wife died in Jefferson county. 
Illinois. He married a second time, his last 
wife being Tabitha, the widow of Isaac 
Casey. 

The subject started on the place where he 
now lives to make a home. He first owned 
forty acres of land, but being progressive 
he added to it from time to time until he 
now owns a fine farm of four hundred and 
twelve acres, which is in a high state of 
cultivation and one of the besl stock farms 
in the county. lie lias raised some high- 
grade horses and cattle and has made all 
the improvements on the place himself, be 
ing regarded as one of the foremost agri- 
culturists of tin- county, holding high rank 
among the stockmen of this locality. 

children have been bom to the sub- 
ject and wife, as follows: Dr. Dwighl was 
born September i. [860, and he graduated 
at the St. Louis Medical College in [890, 
having previously attended the Carbondale 
Normal School, and he read medicine with 
Dr. Richards, in itralia. Illinois; He 

took up his practice at 4101 Washington 



avenue, St. Louis, where he has since been 
residing and has built up a large practice. 
He married Cora Locy, of Carlyle, Blinois, 
and three children were horn to this union, 
Beatrice, Dorothy and Dvvight L. Charles 
Emmett, the subject's second child, was 
boni January 4. 1N62. He is a farmer at 
Mosco, Washington, also a dealer in stock 
and grain. He married Angeline S. Creed, 
of Centralia township, and they have one 
son. Fred Allen. Maggie D., the subject's 
third child, was born December 17. [863, 
and married Lewis E. Thomas, of Centralia, 
Illinois. He is a carpenter in the employ of 
1 lie Illinois Central Railroad. Their only 
son. Charles, is deceased. Samuel R.. who 
was born December 24, [865, has always 
been a fanner and lived at home. Maria, 
who was born January 22, 1871, died in 
AugUSl the same year; Harriett C. who 
was born October 7. [873, married E. M. 
Jones, of St. Louis. He is traveling freight 
agent for the Southern Railroad. They have 
three children, namely: Leona, Dwight and 
Grace. 

The subject of this sketch lived at home 
until [859, and was in the lumber business 
with his father for awhile, then he located 
on hi- present place. During the past few 
years he has devoted a great deal of his at- 
tention to raising fruit. For two years he 
successfully manufactured crates and berry 
boxes at Walnut I [ill, Illinois. 

Mr. Jennings has always taken a great 
deal of interest in politics. lie ably filled 
the : of Supervisor for four years and 
1 ither miti' ir 1 iffices in the Democratic party. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



211 



a member of the Methodist Episcopal church 
and a well read man on all leading topics. 
He has a substantial, beautiful and well 
furnished home, presided over by a most 
estimable helpmeet, his wife being a woman 
of culture and refinement. Our subject is 
an uncle of Hon. William Jennings Bryan. 
He is well and favorably known throughout 
the county, being regarded by all classes 
as a man of force of character, stability, in- 
dustry and honestv. 



FINCH FAMILY HISTORY. 

Sir Heneage Finch was the first Earl of 
Nottingham. England (1682), and was 
Lord Chancellor of England. He was de- 
scended from an old family, many of whose 
numbers had attained a high eminence in 
the legal profession ; and he was the oldest 
son of Sir Heneage Finch, the Recorder of 
London. He was born in Kent, December 
23. 162 1, educated at Westminster and be- 
came a member of the Inner Temple. 1638: 
he was admitted to the bar in 1645. and be- 
came one of the leading members thereof, 
being called the "English Cicero". He was 
chosen a member of the Convention Parlia- 
ment in 1660. and shortly afterward ap- 
pointed Solicitor-General, and in 1675 Lord 
Chancellor. In 1660 he was also created a 
baronet, and in 1670 he was made Attorney 
General. He died in Great Queen Street. 
Lincoln Inn Fields, December 18. 1682, and 
was buried in Ravenstone in Bucks. He was 
spoken of as the father of equity, and was 



the originator of the Statutes of Frauds, 
which are accepted in America and Eng- 
land as universal law and justice. He also 
published some of the speeches in the trials 
of the Judges of King Charles I, in 1660, 
and later emulated himself with other publi- 
cations appertaining to the execution of 
King Charles I. but was not their author. 

Sir Daniel Finch was the second -Earl of 
Nottingham, and the son of Sir Heneage 
Finch, was born in 1647, and died January 
1. 1730. He entered Parliament in 1679. 
and was one of the privy counsellors who in 
1685 signed the order for the proclamation 
of the Duke of York, but kept away from 
the court during the reign of James the II. 
After the abdication of James II, he was one 
of the leaders of the party who were favor- 
able to the establishment of the Regency. 
He declined the office of Lord-Chancellor 
under the reign of William and Mary, but 
accepted that of Secretary of State, and 
tilled that position until December. 1693, 
and he also held the same office under Queen 
Anne in 1702, and retired in 1704. On the 
accession of George the First he was made 
President of the Council and withdrew from 
office in January, 17 16: on the 9th day of 
September, 1729, he succeeded to the Earl- 
dom of Winchelsea and died on the 1st day 
of January. 1730. 

Sir John Finch was a son of Sir Daniel 
Finch, the second Earl of Nottingham, was 
counsel to the Crown under George II. in 
the early part of his reign, and for his strong 
liberal views, and the active interest he took 
in espousing the cause of liberalism he was 



212 BIOGRAPHICAL VND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 

by King George the Second, banished from scene of the bloodj carnival. As the wagon 

the realm, and coming to America, landed was about to pull out with the household 

ai the port of Boston, and married some- g Is and children, a number of Indians see 

where in the eastern pan of Massachusetts, ing one of the servants standing by the 
and .nici .1 time emigrated to New York, wagon, with savage yells and flourishing 
.in.! founded what is taken to be the North- tomahawks rushed upon him and with their 
ern branch of the Finch family. Co Sir tomahawks dashed out his brains, bespatter- 
Idlin Finch, the banished counsellor of the ing with bleed and brains the five-months- 
courl of King George the Second, were born ild 1 • . 1 1 > > of the deceased Isaac Finch and his 
two sons, whose names were respectively, widow, who was lying upon the bed-clothing 
Isa.u I Finch and |bhn Finch ; Isaac Finch in the wagon. The name of this five-months- 
and l"lm Finch left their homes in the State old babj was Solomon Finch, the last born, 
of Xew York and settled in Wyoming Val- The widow of Isaac Finch, together with 
ley in Pennsylvania, sometime previous to these children, then took their departure 
the Revolutionarj war ; they engaged in the from the scene of the massacre and after 
milling business in an extensive way; and many days of tedious, tiresome and danget 
when the Revolutionary war broke OUt they OUS travel, made their way through swamp 
were each at the head of a large family. and wilderness for some three hundred miles 
Isaac Finch enlisted in the Revolutionary to Genesee county, New York, where they 
war. and John remained at heme to look at- were finally given shelter, food and clothing, 
ter the families of his brother Isaac and his and abided until they were joined by the son 
own, and als i their propert) ; the) were then and daughter who had gone en the visit & 
living in Wyoming Valley, at Fort Forty. Massachusetts. They finally built them a 
Isaac Finch was killed in the battle of the house of logs and remained in this settlc- 
Wyoming Massacre. July 3. 1778, and John nient for some years, and until the children 
and his entire family were massacred at the were grown and married, 
same time. Unto Isaac Finch and Aim [t seems that all the children of Isaac and 
ch, his wife, were born five sons and five \m\ Finch were married in this part of 
daughters, and the names of these children New York, excepl Solomon, who again re- 
were: Isaac. M.^cs, l"lm. Enos, \im . Re turned to the scene of the battle where his 
becca, Sarah, Elizabeth, Mary and Solomon, father and other relatives had met their death, 
On the 4 1 1 1 da\ of July, [778, \m\ Finch, the and there married a Sarah Gardner, whose 
widow of Isaac Finch, with the aid of faith- father owned the battlefield en which had 
ful servants, loaded her household effects into been fought thebloody battle of Wyoming, 

a wagon drawn by a pair of oxen, and with and here he was married, and soon afterward 

all the children, excepting fsaac Finch- and returned to Genesee county, Xew York, and 

Amy Finch, who were then visiting in Mas- joined his relatives lie was married "it the 

sachusetts, prepared to fly from the recenl [3th daj .if March. 1804. 



UK 1 1 LAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



213 



Solomon Finch was born on the 31st day 
of January, I//8, married to Sarah Gard- 
ner on the 13th day of March, 1804. and 
died on Elm Creek farm, Clay county, Illi- 
nois, in June, 1851, at the age of seventy- 
three; and to this union were born Rebecca, 
Mary. James Gardner, Almena, Solomon, 
Tomkins and Amos Farm Finch, Rebecca 
Finch was born January 5, 1805. in the 
Wyoming Valley, in Pennsylvania, married 
to George Shirts in Indiana, November 
29, 1 82 1, and to this union were born Wil- 
liam Shirts, February 12, 1823, who died 
in 1885 ; Augustus Finch Shirts, Novem- 
ber 26, 1824; Mary E. Shirts, July 26, 
1826; Angeline Shirts, November 26, 
1828; Sarah Shirts, November 29, 1830, 
and Hiram G. Shirts, July 15, 1834; 
in May, 1842, after the death of George 
Shirts, Rebecca Finch Shirts was married 
to Jay Ridgewav. to whom was born Solo- 
mon Ridgeway. Rebecca Finch Shirts died 
in 1873. 

Mary Finch, born January 24, 1807. in 
Genesee county, New York, and was mar- 
ried to Hiram Finch, son of John Finch, 
who was the son of Isaac Finch, Novem- 
ber 28, 1829, and to this union was bom 
one son. Henry Clay Finch; Mary Finch 
died December 29, 1839. 

James Gardner Finch was born Octo- 
ber 16, [809, in Rochester. Xew York, and 
was married to Sarah W'oodhorn, November 
28, 1833, settled in Clay county, in Novem- 
ber. 1S39, and to this union was born one 
son, Francis M. Finch, April 29, 1837, who 
died in Andersonville prison. July 27. 1864. 
After the death of Sarah Woodburn Finch. 



James Gardner Finch married Mary Ann 
Purdom on the 21st day of July, 1839, and 
to this union were born Walton H. Finch, 
October 13. 1840, and he died in Pamona, 
California in 1894. leaving a large family. 
Cynthia C. Finch was born February 24. 
1845; John C. Finch, born January 23, 
1847; George W. Finch, born June 21, 
1849, and died in Harper county, Kansas, 
in 1896, leaving a large family; Henry 
Clay Finch, born October 1. 1852; Charles 
Sumner Finch, born July 24, 1856; Flor- 
ence Evaline Finch (Kelly), born March 
24, 1858; Almena Finch, born in the 
State of New York, January 13. 18 12, 
married to Stephen Knolton, afterwards to 
Benjamin Creus, and later to Gabriel Man- 
ly, the latter to whom she bore one daugh- 
ter, Emma Manly, July 28, 1832 ; Emma 
Manly married A. J. Hurlock in 1862, and 
after his death she again married John 
Ryan, in Kansas, 1876. 

Emily Finch was born to Solomon and 
Sarah Finch. May 12. 1816. and died Oc- 
tober 13, 1 87 1. 

Augustus H. Finch was born to Solomon 
and Sarah Finch September 1, 181 8, and 
died November 12. 1820. 

Solomon Tompkins Finch was born to 
Solomon and Sarah Gardner Finch in 
Hamilton county, in the state of Indiana, 
on the 2 1st day of November, 1820, 
and in February, 1847, he moved with his 
parents to Clay county, Illinois, where his 
mother. Sarah Gardner Finch, died June, 
1847, and on the 22d day of July, 1847, ne 
was joined in marriage with Bethsheba 
Long, who was born April 15, 1831, and 



214 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



who was the second daughter of Rosamond 
and llaima Stanford Long, and to this union 
were bom Rebecca Margaret Finch in April, 
[852, and who died with premature con- 
sumption in March, 1868. Mary Elizabeth 
Finch, who was born in Flora, Clay county, 
Illinois, on the 25th day of September, 
[854 (being the first child burn in the city 
of Flora), and Solomon Tompkins Finch on 
the 23d day of February, 1857, in the town 
of Flora, Illinois. On the 14th daj of 
April, 1857, Solomon T. 1- inch died, leav- 
ing surviving him Bethsheba Long Finch, 
lus widow, and the three children, viz: Re- 
becca Margaret, Mary Elizabeth and Solo- 
mon Tompkins Finch. Solomon Tompkins 
Finch, son of Solomon Finch and Sarah 
Gardner Finch, was the first business man 
in Flora, Clay county. Illinois, having em- 
harked there into business with one George 
Ilarter, under the firm name of Finch & 
Harter, which continued until his death. In 
1870 Bethsheba Long Finch on the 15th 
day of February was married to John Re- 
sen Finch, who was a son of Aaron, and 
grandson of John Finch, who was a brother 
of Moses and Solomon Finch. To this 
union was born one child. Martha l.uella 
Finch, on the 7th day of February, 1871, 
and on the 16th day of July. 1871. Beth- 
sheba Long Finch departed this life. 

Amos I 'arm Finch was married to Lou- 
isa Griffith August 10. [852, and to this 
union was born ■ >ne son, Hiram Clayton 
Finch, on the nth day of May, 1854. and 
after the death of Louisa Griffith Finch. 
\mos Farm Finch married Sarah Eliza- 



beth Davis on the 51I1 day of December, 
i860, and to this union were born Rosa 
Belle Finch, August 21, 1861 ; Henry Ern- 
c-t Finch, August 28, [868; he married 
Sarah E. Sibler: Clarence A. Finch, Febru- 
ary 6, 1 *7-\ married l.ulu Morrean on No- 
vember 17. 1895. and Maggie Elizabeth 
Finch, November 3. 1875. 

Mary Elizabeth Finch was on the 3d day 
nf February, [876, married to John Minor 
Cunningham, whose father was an early 
settler in Clay county, Illinois, and to this 
union were bom three children, viz: Fre- 
mont Cunningham, born on the 29th day of 
November, 1876. and died six years later. 
Xelle Cunningham was born September to. 
1878, and was married to Jerry J. Bow- 
man, October 22. 1902. Max Finch Cun- 
ningham was born April 14, 1883. 

Solomon Tompkins Finch was on the 
28th day of .May, 1X84. married to Lillie Es- 
tclla Pearce. the youngest daughter of Fred- 
erick .and Martha Ingrahm Pearce. The 
father, Frederick Pearce having been born 
in Leeds, England, came to this country 
with his father when he was but twelve 
years of age: first settled in Western Penn- 
sylvania, and afterward moved to the city 
of Pittsburg. When at the age of man- 
hood he married Martha Ingrahm, and in 
[858, moved with his family, which con- 
sisted of his wife and two children at that 
time, to Ingrahm Prairie, Clay county. Il- 
linois; engaged in the milling business, and 
was among the first settlers of Flora. After 
his removal to Flora, Illinois, his youngest 
daughter, Lillie Estella Pearce, was born on 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



215 



the 13th of January. 1862. To the mar- 
riage of Solomon Tompkins Finch and Lil- 
lie Estella Pearce were horn two sons ; Earle 
D. Finch, horn in the city of Flora on the 
14th day of March, 1865. and Rollae D. 
Finch was bom in the city of Flora on the 
7th day of September, 1887. 

Solomon Tompkins Finch, after taking a 
preparatory course at Loxa College, entered 
the Michigan University, from which col- 
lege he graduated in the law department, in 
1879. and after being admitted to the bar of 
Illinois commenced the law practice in 
Flora, Clay county. Illinois, the home of his 
birth. 

Hiram Clayton Finch, after graduating 
in medicine, entered into the practice, and 
in 1882 moved to Iowa, continuing the 
practice and on the 6th day of October, 
1882, was married to Ausis Oliva Mat- 
thews in Jasper county, Iowa, and to them 
was born one daughter, Ethel Finch, on the 
29th day of December. 1884. 

Moses Finch, son of Isaac and Amy 
Finch, was born in the Wyoming Valley, 
April 15, 1 77 1. ami was married to Sarah 
Beanon in 1789. and to them were born 
eleven sons; their names were: Isaac. Kin- 
ney. Charles. Beanon, Abraham Wheeler, 
Benoni Wheeler. Moses. Archibald Wheel- 
er, James Beanon, Nathaniel, Walter and 
John. Sarah, the mother of the above sons, 
died in Indiana, June 17, 1831. The sons 
all grew to manhood. Moses Finch, after 
the death of Sarah, his wife, married Man- 
da Grange, a widow with three sons and 
two daughters. To Moses Finch and Man- 



da Grange Finch were horn two daughters. 
Florilla and Rebecca. Rebecca married in 
i860, and she and her husband died in 
1861. Florilla married a Doctor Graydon, 
of Southport, Indiana. 

To John Finch, son of Isaac Finch and 
wife, were born three sons, viz; Jubal, John 
and Cyrus. The mother of these children 
died, after which John Finch married 
again, and by his second marriage he begot 
four daughters, viz: Sarah, who married a 
Dr. Amos Palmer; Elizabeth, who married 
a man by the name of Davidson ; Margaret, 
who never married, and Laura, who mar- 
ried a man by the name of Meak. After 
the death of the mother of these children, 
John Finch married the third time, and 
unto this marriage were born. Hiram C. 
Finch. John Finch. Fabious M. Finch, who 
was a prominent lawyer and judge in In- 
dianapolis, Indiana, and lived to an ad- 
vanced age. Rebecca, who married James 
Holl ; Angeline. who married a man by the 
name of Williams, Cynthia married Dr. Na- 
thaniel Mall, and Horatio Finch studied 
law. and afterwards died in San Francisco, 
California. 

Hiram C. Finch was married to Mary 
Finch, on the 28th day of November. 1829, 
and to this union was born one son. Henry 
Clay Finch. Mary Finch died December 
29. 1839, and after her death. Hiram G. 
Finch married his second wife, and to this 
union were born Frank, Allice. who was 
married to John Connor, and Horatio 
Finch. The name of the second wife of Hi- 
ram G. Finch was Mariah Passwatter. 



2l6 



BIOGRAPHICAL ANN REMINISCEN1 HISTORY 01 



Fabious M. Finch was married in 
t8io to Mariah Allen, and to this union 
were born John A. Finch and Alice 
Finch. John A. Finch, after having 
studied law, made a specialty of the 
insurance law, and being associated with 
his father in the law practice under the 
firm name of Finch & Finch, became one of 
the firsl insurance lawyers in the United 
States and compiled what is known in the 
law practice as Finch's Insurance Reports. 
John A. Finch died suddenly in Minneapo- 
lis, Minnesota, while on business in that 
city. 

Fabious M. Finch soon followed the 
death of his must honored son, and left 
surviving his widow and Alice Finch, a 
c^timahle and accomplished daughter, 
unmarried. Aaron Finch was married in 
Indiana. 1823, to Mary W'addell. and after- 
wards moved to (lay county, Illinois, and 
settled mi a farm eight miles southeast of 
Flora, Illinois. To Aaron Finch and his 
wife were horn: Janu-s Austin Finch 
and John Resen Finch; also a daugh- 
ter, Laura. Aaron Finch died in the 
early fifties. James Austin Finch was 
joined in wedlock with Mary I'. Grif- 
fith and studied medicine and died 
in rly sixties. To this union 

was born on, James Austin Finch, 

Mary I'. Finch died in [898. James Austin 
Finch was married to Florence Brissanden. 
studied law. becami well np in his profes 
sion. and was elected to the office of 
Prosecuting Attorne) lay county in 

1876, and afterwards located in Olney, II 



linois, where he died in the summer of 
[881. To this union of James Anstm 
and Florence Brissanden Finch were horn 
four children, viz : Mary. William, Laura 
and James Austin. 

John Resen Finch was horn in Indiana. 
moved to Claj counts. Illinois, with his 
father, and settled on the farm with his 
father. He first married Sarah Schooley, 
and to this marriage were horn one daugh- 
ter and one son, viz : Mary Matilda and 
William Fabious Finch. After the death of 
his first wife he married Rachel Schooley, a 
sister of his firsl wife, and to this union 
were horn one son and one daughter, viz: 
Aaron and Amy Finch. After the death ot 
Rachel, the second wife of John Resen 
Finch, he then married Bethsheba Long 
Finch, and to this union was horn one 
daughter, viz: Martha Louella Finch. After 
the death of Bethsheba Long Finch, John 
Resen Finch then married one Sarah War- 
math, and departed this life in 1879, having 
continued to reside on the farm upon which 
he and his father located upon moving to 
( lay o iunty, lllhi' lis. 

Augustus Finch Shirts, who was born to 
George Shirts and Rebecca Finch Shirts, 
was born November 26. 1824. married to 
Nancy Barnhill, and to this union were horn 
three children, viz: George Shirts. Mary 
Shirts, who married a man by the name of 
Raker, and F.lhert Shirts. Augustus Finch 
Shirts studied law. settled at Noblesville. 
Indiana, became very prominent as a law- 
yer, and as a politician, also became noted 
as the author of the history of Hamilton 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



217 



county, Indiana, and retired from the law- 
practice in 1900. 

George Shirts, son of Augustus Finch 
Shirts, studied law, graduated at the law- 
department of the University of Michigan. 
in 1876, entered the law practice at Nobles- 
ville. Indiana, became eminent as a corpora- 
tion lawyer, and in 1903, was selected by 
the Governor of the state of Indiana, as 
one of the Codifying Commission, and se- 
lected by that body as their clerk. 

In the early spring of 1814. Amos Parm, 
John, Moses and Solomon Finch, together 
with their families, went in wagons from 
Genesee county. New York, to Olean Point, 
New York, a point on the tributary of the 
Ohio river, and building- a flat-boat there, 
they floated down the river to the Ohio riv- 
er, and thence down the Ohio river to North 
Bend, Ohio, the present site of Cincinnati, 
Ohio, and after landing there, Solomon T. 
Finch took service under Gen. William H. 
Harrison (Old Tippecanoe), and after the 
war was over still remained with him f< ir a 
time as superintendent of his plantations, 
the old log cabins that were famous during 
the campaign of Gen. William H. Harrison 
as a candidate for President. Enoch Finch 
settled somewhere in the eastern part of 
Ohio, and Moses and John went to Brook- 
ville. Indiana, engaged to some extent in 
the milling business there, and afterward 
went to Connersville. and were there joined 
by Solomon Finch. Soon afterward Moses 
went to Michigan, and died there at an ad- 
vanced age. 

In April. 1819. Solomon Finch and his 



family and part of the family of John 
Finch, moved from Connersville to Hamil- 
ton county, Indiana, and settled on what 
was then known as Horse Shoe prairie, 
about two miles from the present site of 
Noblesville, Indiana, the county seat of 
Hamilton county, and the}' were followed 
in the following September by John Finch, 
and the remainder of his family. John 
Finch lived to a ripe old age, and as shown 
man}- were his sons and daughters. He 
died in Hamilton county, Indiana. 

The compiler of these accounts, including 
deaths, births, marriages and events, has 
relied upon statistics furnished him by old 
members of the family in its various 
branches, and on the war records fur- 
nished him from the department at Wash- 
ington, and on letters from the Lord Mayor 
of Nottingham, England, and on the true 
historical data as furnished by reliable au- 
thors. He has compiled this short history 
not for any compensation, but because he 
has felt that it ought to have been done by 
some member of the family, but up to this 
time, they have all been too busy a lot of 
Finchs to give it their attention. 



JOHN R. FRENCH. 

The subject is the obliging and well 
known hotel proprietor, insurance and real 
estate dealer of Kell. Haines township, 
Marion county, who has spent his life with- 
in the borders of the same, having 1 been 



!l8 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



identified with the growth and taken no 
small part in the same. He was born Au- 
gust 4, [861, tin- son of Gilbert W. and 
Louisa (O'Bryant) French. John R. 
French's father, a native of Tennessee, 
came to Marion county, Illinois, in 1835. 
He was a native of Tennessee and the son 

ni" John P. and (Hartman) French. 

John i'. French was a native of Pennsyl- 
vania, who moved to Tennessee in an early 
day and in [835 came to Marion county, 
Illinois, locating in Tonti township, where 
he devoted his life to fanning, having died 
in the town of Alma. The subject's grand- 
father was a soldier in the War of 1812. 
Gilbert French and his first wife were the 
parents of four children, namely: Angie, the 
wife of Mathew Organ; Louisa, who was 
the wife of J. X. Jones, is deceased; John 
R., the subject of this sketch: Amanda is 
the wife of J. \V. Ross, of Centralia, this 
county. The subject's father married Mary 
Howard, and three children were born to 
this union. Thomas, living in Kinmundy. 
this county: Harry B., of Odin, Illinois; 
Rachel is the wife of E. \V. Wilson, of 
Alma, Illinois. 

The subject of this sketch was reared on 
a farm near \1ma and was educated in the 
common schools. After farming for a 
while, he learned the plasterer's and brick 
layer'- trade. In 1891 he clerked in a store 
at Alma, this county, and in 1894 he en- 
tered business in a general -t.n'c in Alma 
which he successfully conducted for a peri- 
od of eight years, when he -old out and 
went back to farming, which he followed 



for a while, then he moved to Newton, Il- 
linois, and bought a furniture factory and a 
restaurant, ice cream parlor and bakery, all 
of which he conducted with threat success 
until in May. 10.07, when he came to Kell 
and bought the hotel here, which he 
has since conducted in such an able manner 
that it has become known to the traveling 
public as a comfortable and well conducted 
hostelry, where no pains are Spared to make 
guests feel at home and comfortable. He 
has built up a good business which is con- 
stantly growing. He also finds time to do 
considerable business in insurance and real 
estate. 

Mr. French was united in marriage in 
December, 1886, to Etta Sweet, who was 
born in Alma township, the daughter of 
Samuel and Sarah (Carnes) Sweet, a well 
known family of their community. 

The subject and his wife are the parents 
of the following children: Edward is 
single and living at home and is engaged in 
the restaurant and bakery business. He has 
a modern and fully equipped bakery and 
does an extensive business, shipping bread 
to many outside towns: Cora, the second 
child, is living at home; Bessie is the wife 
of Wesley Howard; Gladys, who is living 
at home attending school; Clara is living 
at home; Clifford is a baby at this writing, 
(1908.) 

Mr. French is a Democrat. He has ably 
served as Justice of the Peace for eight 
years in Alma township and he was School 
Treasurer for four terms of two years each. 
In 1892 he made the race for the nomina- 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



219 



tion on the Democratic ticket for County 
Clerk, but was defeated, however, the re- 
sults showed that our subject was a popu- 
lar man in the convention. Mr. French 
helped incorporate the village of Alma. He 
was also a member of the first board that 
organized the Building and Loan Associa- 
tion at Alma, Illinois. Our subject is a 
member of the Modern Woodmen of Amer- 
ica, being a charter member at Alma. His 
son, Edward, is also a member of the Mod- 
em Woodmen of America at Kell. Mr. 
French is known to be a man of strictly 
honest business principles, industrious, 
pleasant and agreeable, making both friends 
and visitors feel at home. 



HON. WILLIAM BOWER. 

It is both gratifying and profitable to en- 
ter record concerning such a man as he 
whose name appears at the head of this life 
record, and in the following outline suffi- 
cient will be said to indicate the forceful in- 
dividuality, initiative power and sterling 
character, which have had such a decided in- 
fluence in making their possessor a leader in 
enterprises requiring the highest order of 
business talent, and to gain for him wide 
publicity among those who shape and direct 
policies of more than ordinary consequence. 

William Bower, the well known druggist 
of Olney, Illinois, was born May 21. 1842, 
the second child of Philip P. and Mary 
(Dundore) Bower, the former a native of 



German}-, and the latter of Pennsylvania. 
The father was born in Hesse-Darmstadt in 
1804, and when twenty years old emigrated 
to the United States and lived in Pennsyl- 
vania, first settling in Philadelphia in 1840. 
His first wife died in the old Keystone state 
and he married the subject's mother, a na- 
tive of Lancaster, and the daughter of Philip 
Dundore, of German descent. Philip Bower 
moved to Jeromeville, Ohio, and in the 
spring of 1840 came to Olney, Illinois. He 
worked at the cabinet maker's trade for sev- 
eral years, and also engaged in merchandis- 
ing and farming. His death occurred in the 
fall of 1873, at the age of sixty-nine years. 
William Bower, our subject, is a member 
of a family of six children, born to Philip P. 
Bower by his second wife, being the second 
white male child born in what is now the 
city of Olney. The mother of the subject 
was called to her rest in 1856. Our subject 
attended school at the old log school-house 
of Olney, having finished his education at 
the Olney Seminary, where he applied him- 
self in such a careful manner that he re- 
ceived a good education. He began to make 
his own way in the world soon after his 
mother's death, leaving his parental fireside 
at that time. Beginning life as a teacher. 
he taught a six months' term at Macksburg 
and afterward two terms in Olney. making 
a success in this line, but not feeling that 
this should be his life work, he began learn- 
ing the trade of marble cutter and later en- 
gaged to learn the trade of watch maker, 
having worked a few months at each, but he 
never finished either. He then engaged with 



J JO 



B RAPHICAL \\1> REMINISCEN1 HISTORY OF 



K. 1). Horrall, then as now, a hardware 
merchant in Olney. He was to receive three 
dollars per month for the first year, four 
dollars per month during the second year, 
and an increase of one dollar each month 
Eor the third year, also board and lodging. 
After remaining at this for a period of two 
years, Mr. Bower could nol restrain the pa- 
triotic fervor he felt when the War of the 
Rebellion began, consequent!) he enlisted in 
the spring of [86i in Companj D, Eighth 
Illinois Volunteer Infantry, under Colonel 
Oglesby, afterward Governor of [llinois. 
Vfter serving his enlistment of three 
months, proving to lie a very capable sol- 
dier, he returned home and taught school, 
working at night at the tinner's trade. In 
the spring of [863 he engaged to Charles 
Schultz as sutler clerk. While thus em- 
ployed he was captured by General Whee 
ler's forces, shortlj after the battle of Chat 
tanooga, but after being held prisoner for a 
few davs. was paroled and sent north. 

In October, [863, Mr. Bower bought a 
stock of tinware and stoves and carried on 
a business in Olney until the following De 
cember, when he sold out and bought a half 
interest in the drug store of Dr. I'.. W. 
Ridgway. Fifteen months later he pur 
chased his partner's interest and has since 

conducted the business alone, now being the 

oldest druggist in point of years of continu- 
ous trade in Richland county, lie was suc- 
-ful in this line from the first and his 
business has gradually increased until he has 
quite an extensive trade throughout this lo- 
cality. Mr. Bower is the second oldest busi- 



uess man in years 01 uninterrupted dealing 
in Olney. Me has been activel) identified 
with tin- Illinois Pharmaceutical Association 
For many years, having served as its firsl 
vice president and chairman of the commit- 
tee on legislation during- the period when the 
Illinois pharmaceutical law was first en- 
acted. ( )n November 29, [864, Mr. Bower 
was married to Sarah !■'.. Ridgway, a repre- 
sentativeofa well known family. Her father 
having been the late Dr. E. W. Ridgway. 
She was horn in Mansfield. Ohio. Four 
children have been horn to the subject and 
wife, as follows: Catella. now the wife of 
M. I'".. Sebree, now superintendent of the 
fndiana Southern Railroad Company: Ernsl 
Zeledon, who is in the store with his father, 
also owner and manager of the " 1 lower 
Knoll Stock Farm", the home of "John < 1. 
Carlyle" ami other high bred horses; Emma 
died at the age of four years and Xina when 
two years old. The children of Mr. Bower 
have received good educations and are cul- 
tured and popular. 

Mr. and Mrs. Bower are members of the 
New. or Swedenborgian church. In politics 
our subject is a Democrat, lie served as 
Alderman from the second ward in Olney 
in the earl) seventies, and was elected by a 
large majority from the forty-fourth dis- 
trict as representative to the Thirty-first Il- 
linois General Assembly, where he served as 
a member of the Committee on Education, 
Printing and Militia, lie was the author 
of some important measures ami proved a 
most industrious and useful member, show- 
ing that he was thoroughly alive to the in- 



RICHLAND, (LAV AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



22] 



terests of his constituents and he succeeded 
in making his influence felt in that body, 
gaining the admiration of all concerned for 
his clear and logical counsel. Mr. Bower 
was elected .Mayor of the city of Olney in 
the spring of iqoi. serving one term during 
which the city's interests were carefully con- 
served and many new policies inaugurated 
that will be of lasting benefit to the commu- 
ity. During the two years in which he served 
as Mayor, among the more important things 
accomplished for the public good was the 
building of the reservoir, costing over six 
thousand dollars, the city building remod- 
eled, the Bower Park established and over 
four thousand dollars expended for water 
pipes, and there was an unusual activity in 
all departments of the city, while the debts 
of the city were not increased, but on the 
contrary, were somewhat reduced. During 
Mr. Bower's term an epidemic of smallpox 
was wiped out at a cost of over fifteen hun- 
dred dollars. 

Socially Mr. Bower is a Royal Arch Ma- 
son, also belongs to the Richland Lodge 
No. 1 80, Independent Order of Odd Fel- 
lows, and he is a member of the Grand 
Army of the Republic. 

Mr. Bower has one of the most extensive 
drug stores in this part of the state, carrying 
a very carefully selected stock ranging from 
twelve thousand to fifteen thousand dollars, 
consisting of all kinds of drugs, physicians' 
supplies, books, paints, wall paper. He oc- 
cupies his own building, a substantial two- 
story stone structure, twety-five by one hun- 
dred and sixty-five feet, running from Main 



to Market streets, and he also lias a very 
pleasant home. 

In all the relations of life our subject has 
proven true to the trusts imposed upon him, 
and because of his past honorable record, 
his public-spirit, his genial disposition and 
his honesty of purpose, he is held in high es- 
teem by all who know him. 



SAMUEL W. JONES. 

The honored subject of this sketch is a 
representative of one of the sterling pioneer 
families of Marion county and is personally 
identified with the industrial interests of 
this section of the state where he has spent 
his life, being the owner of a fine farming 
property in Kinmundy township. 

Samuel W. Jones was born in Marion 
county, Illinois. September 15. 1858, and 
he has preferred to spend his entire life 
within the borders of the same, where he 
believed he would have better ad wantages 
among the people where the Jones family 
had long been noted for their industry and 
honesty, than he would have in other coun- 
ties of this or any other state of our great 
Union. He is the son of Jackson C. and 
Margaret (Whiteside) Jones. A history of 
the subject's father and mother and their 
ancestry will be found under the head of 
James R. Jones, whose sketch appears in 
another part of this volume. 

Our subject received his early education 
in the district schools where he applied him- 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY "1 



self in a diligent manner to his 1 ks and 

received a fairly good education, having fed 
a large herd of his father's rattle in the 
meantime, lie left school at the age of 
nineteen and began farming, which enter- 
prise he has since been identified with and 
which he has made a great success, being 
recognized today as one of the leading ag- 
riculturists of his community. He lias pros- 
pered until he has become the owner of a 
valuable farm consisting of one hundred 
and thirty-five acres. I lis land is under a 
high state of cultivation and the soil has 
hcen kept in a verj good condition through 
proper management until excellent crops 
are reaped from it year by year, the sub- 
ject being thus enabled to make a comfort- 
able living and also lay by something for 
the future, lie has a good income also 
from his stock, being especially interested in 
the raising of Poland China hogs and 
Shropshire sheep, both being noted for their 
excellent quality, for Mr. Jones certainly 
understands the successful handling of 
itock. lie has a nice, modern and com 
fortable dwelling and a large number of 
good outbuildings, in fact everything about 
his place shows excellent management and 
prosperity. 

Our subject was united in marriage Sep- 
tember 20, 1*77. to Hannah Atkins, who 
was bom in Foster township, Marion coun- 
ty, December -'4. [861, the daughter, of 
Nathan Vtkins, who was horn Augusl 28, 
1817, in Alabama. He came to Illinois 
when a young man and took up govern- 
ment land, cleared a farm which he contin- 



ued to w ■< >rk the rest of his life and on which 
he reared a family of twelve children, eight 
boys and four girls, five of whom are still 
living. Their names are James, Moses, John, 
Thomas, Barbara, Margaret. George, all 
deceased: Joseph, Richard. Hannah. Eliza- 
beth and Catherine, all living. Nathan At- 
kins has long since passed to his rest. He 
married Mary Garrett, the daughter of 
Moses and Hannah Garrett, pioneers of this 
a 'unty. 

Our subject and wife are the parents of 
three living children and one child that is 
dead. Their names are. Charles \V.. Wil- 
liam O.. deceased; Bessie C, and Mary J. 
Charles W. Jones married Susie Pearson. 
and they have one son, named Carroll G. 
William Pearson, the father of Charles W. 
Jones's wife, was horn in Marion county. 
Her mother's name was Kmiline Anglin, 
who was also born in this county. William 
Pearson was the father of six children, two 
hoys and four girls. Mrs. Hannah Jones 

was educated in the country schools of this 
county where she diligently applied herself 
until she was sixteen years of age when she 
was married to our subject who was nine- 
teen. She is a good housewife and mother, 
of a cheerful disposition and is beloved by 
all who know her for her many beautiful 
traits of character. 

Our subject, while nol a member of an) 
church, is a believei of the principles of 
Christianity and good government. He is 
a stanch Democrat and his support can al- 
ways be depended upon when any measure 
looking I" the public good are at issue 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



JAMES W. ARNOLD. 

The subject of this sketch is a citizen of 
Foster township, Marion county, and he is 
so loyal to what he considers his duty that 
no personal consideration will deter him 
from its accomplishment. It is such worthy 
citizens as Mr. Arnold who have made this 
county the productive and prosperous region 
that it is today. 

James W. Arnold was born in section 9, 
Foster township, February 14, 1847, the son 
of John Wesley Arnold, who was born in 
Alabama, he the son of John Arnold, of 
Georgia. He married Elizabeth Webb and 
they came to Illinois, settling near Charles- 
ton in 1825, where they remained for one 
year, when they went back to Alabama. 
Twelve years later they located near Leba- 
non, Illinois, where they remained until 
1844. when they moved to Foster township, 
Marion county, buying land there. Later 
they went to Ellis county, Texas, where Mr. 
Arnold died in 1887, at the age of eighty- 
seven years. His wife died in Foster town- 
ship, this county. Mr. Arnold was a farmer 
and also owned a mill. The following chil- 
dren were born to them : William ; Nancy, 
.of Cairo, Illinois ; John W., Joseph ; Adeline, 
who is living in Missouri ; Margaret, Esther, 
Ivev, living in Oklahoma; James A., Felix, 
Nathan of Texas ; Fletcher was killed at 
Atlanta, Georgia, during the Civil war. 

John Wesley .Arnold married Nancy 
Jones, of Foster township, Marion county, 
the daughter of James and Laura Jones. 
He settled in section 9. Foster township, 



where he secured wild land and made a 
home. He was always a farmer and stock 
raiser and owned five hundred acres of good 
land. He was active in politics, being a Re- 
publican, and was at one time Supervisor of 
Foster township. He was a member of the 
Methodist Episcopal church. He was born 
in 1820 and his death occurred in 1889. His 
wife was born in 1827 and died in February, 
1905. Seven children were born to them 
as follows: James W., our subject; Mary 
E., who married Alexander Mussey, living 
near Vernon, Illinois; John I. is living re- 
tired in Foster township ; Elizabeth married 
John Doolen, living at Kinmundy, this 
county; Joseph T. lives at Kinmundy; Eli 
M. is in the oil business at Shawnee, Okla- 
homa; Rosie E. married Isom W. Doolen, 
living at Vernon, this county. 

James W. Arnold, our subject, attended 
the home schools. He remained a member 
of the family circle until his marriage, No- 
vember 18, 1869, to Permelia J. Robb, who 
was born in Kinmundy township, the 
daughter of Samuel and Agnes Pruitt, who 
were pioneers of this county and who died 
here. The following children have been 
born to the subject and wife : Cyrus Elmer, 
a farmer in Foster township, who married 
Ann Green and who has one child, Gladys ; 
Samuel W. living in section 3, Foster 
township, was married first to Jennie Green, 
and his second wife was Isabelle Nichols. 
He had two children by his first wife, Doris 
and Dale, and two children by his second 
wife, Thelma and an infant born in 1908. 
Lola Etta is the name of the subject's third 



'■24 



BIOGRAPHICAL VND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



child, who is the wife of Cyrus Green, of 
Foster township, and the mother of four 
children. Glen, Lovell, Anna and Russell; 
Orin M.. graduate of the Business College 
of Dixon, Illinois, married Laura Garrett, 
of Foster township, is farming and they 
have two children, Florence and Harold D. 
The subject's children were educated in the 
In nne schools, receiving careful mental train- 
ing, and they all give much promise of suc- 
cessful futures. 

\fter Mr. Arnold's marriage he lived on 
the old home place for two years when he 
bought the place where he now lives, con- 
sisting of one hundred and eighty-three 
acres. lie at one time owned considerably 
more but gave it to his children. Besides 
his farming Mr. Arnold successfully oper- 
ated a saw mill for a while. He also 
managed a store at Lester, Illinois, for two 
years and was also successful in this venture. 
He was postmaster of that town, giving en- 
tire satisfaction to all concerned. He made 
all the improvements of his farm which now 
ranks among the best in Marion county. 
I [e has a most excellent and valuable apple 
and peach orchard, consisting of forty acres, 
also of small fruits. He carries on general 
farming and stock raising. He is active in 
politics, being a Republican, and he has 
filled all the township offices. He is a mem- 
ber of the Methodist Episcopal church. In 
his fraternal relations he is a Mason, the 
Blue Lodge, No. 398, at Kinmundy, Illi- 
nois. Mr. Arnold is well known through- 
out Marion county for his industry and his 
honesty in dealing with his fellow men. 



I IK >.\l \S A. PATTON. 

For various reasons the subject of this 
sketch is deemed eligible for specific men- 
tion in this volume, not the least of which 
is the fact that he was one of the brave 
"boys in blue" who offered his services in 
defense of his country during the dark days 
of the sixties. His life has been one of hon- 
est endeavor and filled with good deeds 
throughout, and now in its golden evening 
he is enjoying a respite in his serene home 
in Centralis township, Marion county. 

Thomas A. Patton was born in Mt. Ver- 
non township, Jefferson county, Illinois, De- 
cember 8, 1837, the son of Austin and Ange- 
line (Thorne) Patton, the former a well 
known physician, both natives of Virginia, 
of which state William Pattern, the subject's 
grandfather, was also a native. Austin 
Patton grew up in Virginia, receiving only 
a limited education, but he was ambitious 
and became self-educated, reading medicine 
with Dr. Frost, of Jefferson county. Illinois. 
beginning practice at Walnut Hill, where he 
ted about 1830. He secured a farm of 
three hundred acres, but devoted most of 
his time to his practice, which was always 
large. I le became widely known, and is re- 
membered as a very jolly man. resulting in 
his winning hosts of friends. Although a 
g 1 Democrat, he never held office. His 

death occurred in [896. His first wife died 
December 24, 1837, and he was married a 
second time t" Ann P.ateman. a native of 
let'ferson county. Illinois. She is now liv- 
ing at Walnut Mill. Austin Patton and 



RICHLAND. CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



225 



wife were the parents of three children, 
namely: William, deceased; Mary, also de- 
ceased; Thomas A., our subject. Nine 
children were born to Austin Patton and 
his second wife, as follows: James L., de- 
ceased, was a farmer at Walnut Hill ; Li- 
vona J., deceased; Lewis J. is a farmer, liv- 
ing at Newton county, Kansas ; Joseph T. 
is a farmer in Harvey county, Kansas ; 
Iduma A., deceased; George B. is a farmer, 
living in Jefferson county, Illinois; Carula, 
who first married Bell Talbott and then 
Frank Gore, of Walnut Hill ; Ila C, who 
married Willa Copple, of Centralia town- 
ship; Omer P. is farming on part of the old 
homestead in Centralia township. He mar- 
ried Helen Telford. 

Our subject had only a limited chance 
to attend school, having studied in a sub- 
scription school for a time. Living at home 
until he was twenty-three years old, he then 
started in business for himself in Centralia 
township, section 36, and farmed there with 
great success for seven years, when he 
bought a farm in Raccoon township, con- 
sisting of forty acres of new and unim- 
proved land on which he remained for four 
years, then selling it and renting near Wal- 
nut Hill in Jefferson county. In 1881 he 
bought one hundred and fifty acres in Rome 
township, Jefferson county, which he 
worked with most gratifying results until 
he retired in 1902, when he sold out and 
moved to Walnut Hill, having since lived 
retired. 

Mr. Patton was first united in mar- 
riage in 1861, to Alena Smith, of Walnut 
IS 



Hill, and she passed to her rest May 19. 
1901. He married again, his second wife 
being Augusta Maltimore, whom he married 
October 5, 1905. She was the widow of 
Christopher H. Maltimore, of Ohio, and 
she was the daughter of Benjamin F.Nelms, 
who married Nancy Bailey, the former was 
of Virginia and the latter of Kentucky. 
Benjamin Nelms was the son of Jerry 
Xelms, a native of Virginia. His father 
was also a Virginian. The first of the fam- 
ily to come to Illinois was Jerry's wife, 
Mary A. He died in St. Genevieve, Mis- 
souri, and his wife, in 1854, came to Marion 
county, Illinois, and located on a farm near 
Walnut Hill, where she died, in 1897. He 
now lives at Decatur, Illinois. Mrs. Pat- 
ton had one daughter, Mary L., by her first 
marriage. 

Five children were born to the subject 
by his first wife, namely: William L., who 
is living in Centralia township on a farm, 
and who married Cordelia Snow ; Zina D. 
married Alta Kell, and is living on a farm 
in Jefferson county, Illinois; May married 
Oscar Breeze, of Jefferson county ; Mary 
married Edward Watts, of Centralia, Illi- 
nois ; Frank L. is a stationary engineer in 
the mines, now located in North Dakota. 

Our subject has always been a farmer, 
and being interested in public affairs, he has 
been entrusted with various local offices. 
He was Highway Commissioner at one time 
and School Director for twenty years. He 
has always voted the Republican ticket, hav- 
ing cast his first ballot for Abraham Lin- 
coln in i860. Fraternally he is a member 



_•_'<> 



BIOGRAPHU \I. AND REMI XISl KNI HISTORY OF 



of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, 
having been identified with lodge No. 710, 

at Walnut Hill for the past thirty-five years. 
Our subject enlisted Aiugusl i-\ [862, in 
Company II. Eightieth Illinois Volunteer 
Infantry, at Centralia, under Colonel Allen. 
IK' was senl t<> Louisville, and later to Per- 
ryville, Kentucky. being in the battle there. 
October 8, tSf.j. He was in the battle of 
Stone River, also at Knoxville, and at Chat- 
tanooga in the spring of 1863. He was 
picked out of a division of men to go on an 
expedition into Georgia. At Rome the 
whole number of men on this expedition, 
consisting of fifteen thousand, were cap- 
tured and sent to Belle Isle Prison, where 
they were held for fifteen days and paroled. 
They went to Camp Chase, Ohio, where they 
remained for ten days, when they were sent 
to St. Louis, Missouri, where they remained 
fifteen days. On July 4. 1863, they reor- 
ganized and went to Nashville. Tennessee. 
They opened up the valley leading to Look- 
out Mountain, and after remaining there 
for about forty days, they went to Mission- 
ary Ridge and engaged in the battle there. 
also at Lookout Mountain, after which they 
went into winter quarters in Chattanooga. 
The subject contracted rheumatism and 
con].! not go on the Atlanta campaign, con- 
quently he was transferred to the veteran 
reserve and was detailed to the hospital 
Steamer for Washington City. District of 
Columbia, and was sent to City Point. Vir- 
ginia, to look after the sick and wounded of 
Grant's army. Part of the time the sub 
was located in Washington City, New 



York, Annapolis, Fortress Monroe, Vir- 
ginia, having served in this capacity until 
the close of the war. and was discharged 
June 15. 1865, at Washington City. lie re- 
ceived two seal]) wounds and was shot 
through the hat once. These wounds have 
troubled him a great deal since the war. 

Mr. Patton is a good scholar, is well 
posted on current topics and is a fine con- 
versationalist, lie is held in high esteem 
by the people of Marion county for his life 
of industry, his honesty and friendly man- 
ners. 



SOLOMON T. FINCH. 

One of the men who has stamped the im- 
press of his strong individuality upon the 
minds of the people of Clay county in a man- 
ner as to render him one of the conspicu- 
ous characters of this locality, is the sub- 
ject of this sketch, one of the prominent at- 
torneys of the southern part of the common- 
wealth of Illinois. Faithfulness to duty and 
a strict adherence to a fixed purpose, which 
always d,. more to advance a man's inter- 
ests than wealth or advantageous circum- 
stances, have been dominating factors in his 
life, which has been replete with honor and 
success w, irthilv attained. 

Solomon T. Finch was born in Flora, 
Clay county. February 23, 1857, the son 
of Solomon T. Finch, who was born in 
Indiana, and who came to Illinois in 
[849, settling in Clay county. He was 
the first merchant in Flora, and was influ- 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



227 



ential in the affairs of the pioneer days of 
this community. He was in business here 
until his death in 1857. The subject's pa- 
ternal grandfather was also named Solo- 
mon. He was a native of New York, 
having removed from the Empire state to 
Southern Indiana, and was superintendent 
of the log cabin display in General Har- 
rison's campaign in 1832. He came to Il- 
linois with his father in 1849. His death 
occurred in 185 1. The subject's mother 
was Bathsheba Long, who was a native of 
Virginia. She passed to her rest in 1872. 
She was a representative of a fine old 
southern family. Three children were born 
to the subject's parents, namely : Rebecca 
was born in 1852, and died when fifteen 
years old: Mary is the wife of J. M. Cun- 
ningham, of Flora, she having been the first 
child born in Flora, the date of her birth 
being 1854: Solomon T.. the subject of 
this sketch, is the youngest child. The 
father of the subject moved to Flora in 
1853, an d engaged in the dry goods busi- 
ness. 

Mr. Finch received his preliminary 
schooling in the common schools of Flora. 
He attended Loxa College in Coles county, 
this state. Desiring a higher education, he 
entered the University of Michigan in 1876, 
from which he graduated in 1879, from the 
law department, having made a brilliant 
record in the same. He was admitted to 
the bar in 1880, and has been engaged in 
practice ever since. He removed to Spring- 
field in 1900. where he practiced for five 
years with his usual success, but he moved 



back to Flora in 1905, much to the satisfac- 
tion of his many clients and friends in Clay 
county. 

Mr. Finch was united in marriage May 
28, 1884, to Lillie E. Pearce, daughter of 
Frederick Pearce, who was born in Eng- 
land, having emigrated to the United States 
in 1858, when he was twenty years old. 
Lillie E. Pearce was born in Flora within 
one block of where Mr. Finch was born. 
Two sons have been born to the subject and 
wife. Earl D., who is associated with his 
father, is a graduate of the Springfield 
high school and also a graduate of the law 
department of the State University ; Rollae 
D. also graduated from the Springfield 
high school, and is in 1908 a student in the 
medical department of Washington Uni- 
versity, St. Louis. They are both bright 
young men, who give promise of brilliant 
careers. 

Mr. Finch was nominated by the Demo- 
cratic party for County Judge in 1898, but 
was defeated, however, by only one vote, 
although the county was largely Repub- 
lican. He was also his party's nominee for 
State's Attorney in 1908, but went down 
in defeat with the rest of the ticket. He 
is engaged in the law and abstract busi- 
ness and his office is always a busy place. 

In his fraternal relations he belongs to 
the Blue Lodge. Royal Arch and Knights 
Templar Masons. He organized and was 
the first chancellor commander of the 
Knights of Pythias in Flora. He also be- 
longs to the Woodmen. He is a loyal 
Democrat. He belongs to the Presbyterian 



228 



B RAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



church. Mrs. Finch and then youngest son 
arc members of the Methodist church. 

Mr. Finch has -ecu many changes in 
Clay county during his lifetime. Progress 
has been made, doing away with the old 
landmarks and substituting in their places 
all the evidences of advanced civilization, 
and in all matters pertaining to the general 
good and improvement he has been deeplj 
interested, nor lias he withheld his aid when 
u lias been solicited For the advancement 
of any public measure of worth, hut on the 
contrary he has often been the instigator of 
movements that have resulted in permanent 
to the community honored by his 
residence. He is a highly respected citizen. 
held in uniform regard by those who have 
known him through long years. 



JAMES F. PURDUE. 

The subject was horn in Montgomery 
county, Tennessee. March i, 1833. the son 
of Jarrut and Rebecca (Fanner) Purdue, 
the former a native of Georgia, and the lat- 
ter of North Carolina. They went to Ten- 
nessee when young and married there, and 
removed to Illinois in 1838, settling in what 
is now Haines township, where they took 
up government land. They made the trip 
from Tei in ox carts. When they 

settled here among the pioneers there was 
much wild game. They developed a good 
farm and worked hard. They died on the 
place, after becoming the parents of eight 
children: Margaret, Mary. Richard, Wil- 



liam (.'., John \V.. Jacob II.. James !•'.. our 
subject, and Andrew V. Jarrut Purdue 
was a Democrat. Mis wife was a membei 
of the Baptist church. 

Our subject was six years of age when 
he came with his parents to Marion county. 
Illinois. He was educated in the common 
schools of the early days, and he has spent 
the balance of his life here, having re- 
mained at home until he reached manhood. 
He was married the first time in 1 S 5 5 . to 
Louisa llrasel, a native of Tennessee, and 
three children were bom to them: Nancy 
Jane, who is living in Haines township, is 
the wife of Zach Brasel ; Joseph H. is a 
farmer living in Haines township; John R. is 
also a farmer living in Haines township. 
The subject's second mariage was in 1867, 
his second wife being Loretta Price, a na- 
tive of Ohio, to whom one child has been 
born, Louisa, now the wife of Harry Alvis, 
of East St. Louis. 

The third marriage of the subject was 
to Vilinda Murphy, the ceremony having 
been performed in 1876. To this last mar- 
riage two children were born, Tence and 
Harry. 

Mr. Purdue is a Democrat in his political 
relations. He has devoted his life to farm- 
ing and has been very successful. He is 
now living retired, having moved to his 
neat, comfortable and pleasant home in Kell 
in September. 1908. He is well known 
throughout the County, being a member of 
old and prominent families of this region 
in which he himself was one of the earliest 
pioneers. 




. I 




eftfrz £ 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION* COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



229 



HARVEY F. PIXLEY. 

' The able and popular president of the First 
National Bank of Flora, Illinois, is most con- 
sistently accorded recognition in a work of 
the province assigned to the one at hand, 
since it has to do with the representative citi- 
zens of Clay county, of which number he 
unquestionably is a worthy member and has 
long played well his part in the development 
of the interests of this locality. 

Harvey F. Pixley was born in Ingraham, 
Clay county, November 25, 1869, the son 
of Osman Pixley. who was a native of Xew 
York, having settled in Edwards county in 
1852. The subject's father was a merchant 
and for many years was the president of the 
First National Bank of Flora. He was a 
prominent man in this community, and was 
Representative in the Legislature in 1871 and 
1872. representing this district, having been 
elected on the Republican ticket. He was 
for many years a leading and influential citi- 
zen here. He was postmaster of Ingraham 
for the long period of forty years. He re- 
ceived a request from Postmaster General 
Wanamaker for his photo to be used at the 
Chicago World's Fair. He was the fourth 
oldest postmaster in point of service in the 
United States. After an active and useful 
life he was called to his rest April 7. 1903. 
Asa Pixley. the subject's grandfather, was 
a native of Vermont, but he removed to 
Western Xew York and finally settled near 
West Salem. Edwards county, Illinois, about 
1830. being among the pioneers. He was 
born March 26. 1805. and died February 9. 



1883. The Pixley family is of Puritan stock. 
The mother of the subject was Frances 
Wood, a native of near Allendale. Wa- 
bash county, this state, where she was born 
June 29. 1832. She was a woman of beau- 
tiful attributes, and she passed to her rest 
May 16. 1907. Nine children were born to 
the parents of our subject. Harvey F. being 
the seventh in order of birth. Four girls and 
one boy are deceased. Dewitt C. is living 
in Orange, California, a prominent business 
man of that place, is married and has five 
children: Arthur H.. who lives in Chicago, 
is a member of the Board of Trade and is as- 
sociated with Ware & Leland. The subject's 
mother was a member of a large family, con- 
sisting of nine children. Her father was 
Spencer Wood, who was born near New 
Haven. Vermont. February 14. 1788. and 
died December 5. 1846. Her mother was 
Matilda Flower, who was born in Hardins- 
burg. Kentucky. March 19, 1791. and died 
March 12. 1855. the mother being the last 
surviving member of the family. Mr. Pixley's 
father's m ither was Amanda Ingraham. The 
township of Pixley was named after Mr. 
Pixley's father, and the town of Ingraham 
was named after Mr. Pixley's grandmother, 
who was born February 22. 1806. and died 
September 26. 1844. Her parents are buried 
in Ingraham cemetery. Philo Ingraham, her 
father, was born June 28. 1708. and died 
April 2 1. 1842. Her mother was Arvilla 
Barney, born September 12. 1782. and died 
September 19. 1854. They are supposed to 
be the first white people buried in Clay 
county. 



23° 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



Harvey F, Pixley, our subject, spenl his 
life up to [899 in Ingraham. After receiving 
a c immon school education there he attended 
Eureka College, in which institution he -pent 
two years, making an excellent record. Then 
he began work in his father's store, having 
remained there for twelve years, assisting 
to build up an excellent trade. In August, 
[899, he came to Flora and began work in 
the hirst National Hank, becoming it- cash- 
ier January 1. [900, serving fouryears! lie 
was then elected vice president of the in- 
stitution, serving four years in this capacity, 
and was made president of the bank at the 
January, [909, meeting of the board of direc- 
tors, lie has done much to increase the 
prestige of this hank and place it on a solid 
foundation -. > that it is today recognized as 
one of the soundest in Southern Illinois. 

Mr. Pixley 1- treasurer of the lheese- 
Trenton Alining Company, which operates 
three coal mine- at Breese, Beckemeyer and 
Trenton, lie is also treasurer of the Ebner 
[ceS I "M Si irage < ompany, operating four 
plants, one at Yincennes. Seymour and 
Washington, Indiana, and one at Mora, Illi- 
nois. IK- is al-o a director and large Stock- 
holder in both the above named companies. 
.Mr. Pixley also has an interest in the Flora 
< lanning ( !i nnpam . and is als 1 a sb ickholder 
and one of the organizers of the Flora Tele- 
phone Company; also interested as a stock- 
holder in two wholesale houses m St. Louis. 
I le was one ' >f the executors of the late * ten, 
I .ewis I!. Parsi I li n.i. having left an 

estate of one hundred thousand dollars with 
a will. 

Mr. Pixley was married on October 22, 



1892, to Callie Cisel, daughter of John Cisel, 
of Allendale, Wabash county. Illinois. She 

was h 1111 1 m the ail j" lining farm n 1 where Mr. 
Pixley's mother was reared. To this union 

one Mm has been horn, December 10, [892, 

lie is a bright lad and is attending the West- 
ern Military Academy at Upper Alton, Illi- 
nois. 

In his fraternal relations our subject is a 
member of the Blue Lodge, No. -'04. Free 
and Accepted Masons, ami Royal Arch Chap- 
ter Xo. 154. He is a member of tin- Order 
if Eastern Star, as is also Mrs. I'ixley. They 
are members of the Christian church, the sub- 
ject being a member of the official board. He 
was also a member of the building commit- 
tee that erected the new church, a splendid 
edifice that would be a credit to a much 
larger city. Mr. Pixley is one of the trus- 
tees of the Carnegie library of which he is 
treasurer, lie has been trustee of the -ame 
since it was built and he was a member of 
the building committee. I le was at 1 me time 
president of the school board, lie is now a 
member and 1 me of the directors < if the Fl ira 
Mutual Building, Loan and Homestead As- 
sociation. In politics he is a Republican. 

Something of the subject's ability as a 
financier may he gamed from the statement 
that when he became associated with the First 
National Hank there was a surplus of only 
twelve thousand dollars; it is now twenty- 
live thousand. The undivided profits were 
less than one thousand dollars. They are 
now over sixteen thousand. The dividends 
are now five per cent., payable semi-an- 
nually. 

Mr. and Mi's. I'ixley have one of the finest 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



231 



homes in the county, modern, and is presided 
over with rare dignity by -Mrs. Pixley. who 
is a woman of refinement. 

Mr. Pixley has always taken a great inter- 
est in the advancement and prosperity oi 
Clay county and endorses every movement 
which he believes will prove a benefit to hu- 
manity. He is a sociable gentleman and is 
held in the highest regard by all who know 
him. His achievements represent the result 
of honest endeavor along lines where ma- 
ture judgment has opened the way. He 
possesses a weight of character, a native sa- 
gacity, a discriminating judgment and a 
fidelity of purpose that command the re- 
spect, if not the approval, of all with whom 
he is associated. He takes first rank among 
the prominent men of this locality and is a 
leader in financial, business, educational, so- 
cial and civic affairs. 



THE BRYAN FAMILY. 

(By Mrs. Anna Torrence.) 

In giving the genealogy of the Bryan 
family, who have long been considered 
among the most noted and highly esteemed 
of Marion county, Illinois, there are some 
characteristics which the reader will at once 
note as being particularly strong and 
plainly marked throughout the entire line- 
age. First, as a family whose veracity is 
never questioned; second, they are noted for 
being strictly honest in every detail of social, 



political and business life; third, those who 
are Christians are very devoted, believing 
emphatically in a prayer hearing and prayer 
answering God, believing that He guides 
man in every right act of life. The pub- 
lishers of this work are glad to be able to 
give their readers an insight into the life 
records of this remarkable family and can 
state with all authenticity that the sketches 
contained herein are to be relied upon. 

William Bryan, the great-grandfather of 
Hon. William J. Bryan, was born in Eng- 
land and was married there, having come to 
America before the Revolutionary war, set- 
tling in Culpeper county, Virginia. Five 
children were born to them, namely: James, 
John, Aquilla, Francis and Elizabeth. 
James moved to Barren county, Kentucky. 
Aquilla went to Ohio. One of the girls mar- 
ried a man named Baldwin. Nothing fur- 
ther is known of these families at present. 

John Bryan, the second son and grand- 
father of Hon. William J. Bryan, was born 
in 1790. In 1807 he married Nancy Lillard, 
a representative of one of the finest old 
S( luthern families of Virginia, and she is re- 
membered as a very refined and cultured 
woman, endowed with more than ordinary 
intelligence. In 1828 they moved to Cobal 
county, Virginia, and lived there two years. 
From there they moved to Mason county, 
Virginia, where they lived and passed to 
their rest and where they lie buried. To 
them ten children were born. The oldest, 
William \\"., was born in 1808. He mar- 
ried Emily Smith and about 1838 moved to 
Lincoln county, Missouri, near Troy. They 



232 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT IIISTOR\ Ol 



wen.- the parents of four children, namely: 
William Hamilton, John J.. Callie and Vir- 
ginia. William W. Bryan reached an old 
age and died a few years ago, his wife fol- 
lowing him to the other shore only a few 
months later. William H. Bryan is an 
honored and respected citizen of Troy, Mis- 
souri, and he has a nice Christian family. 
Callie and Virginia are noble Christian 
women. John J. is deceased. John J. 
Bryan, Sr.. died in early manhood. Howard 
died in infancy. Jane, the eldest daughter, 
married Joseph Cheney, a wealthy hat man- 
ufacturer of Gallipolis, Ohio. She was left 
a widow with six small children whom she 
reared to be useful women and men. Their 
names were : Robert, Mary, Russell, Linna, 
Harriet and Emma. She spent the last few 
years of her life at various places, wherever 
she preferred to stay, spending seven years 
with the family of Judge Silas L. Bryan. 
The last three year-; of her life she lived 
with Mrs. Mollie Webster, one of her nieces, 
whom she comforted in her early widow- 

h 1. She was the idolized aunt around 

whom all the nieces and nephews clustered, 
who regarded her as an earthly saint. She 
er heard to inter an unkind word 
against any of God's creations. The night 
she was called from earth she praised God 
aloud with every shortening breath. 

Nancy Bryan married George Baltzell 
and moved to Walnut Hill, Illinois, where 
she died. Two sons were horn to them. 
Silas L. and Russell I'.. Both are active 
business men. the former living at Ham- 
mond, Louisiana, and the latter at Cen- 



tralia, Illinois. Nancy is described as a 
very handsome woman, refined and cul- 
tured. To her early training, motherly care 
and prayers. Judge Silas L. Bryan owed 
much of his success in life. 

Martha Bryan married Homer Smith, of 
Gallipolis, Ohio, and moved to Illinois. 
She was left a widow with two small girls, 
Jane and Mary. She was called from earth 
before the girls were grown. Jane made 
her home with Russell Bryan and Mary 
with Judge Bryan's family. Jane was a suc- 
cessful school teacher for several years. The 
mother was a very devoted Christian and 
always had family prayers and is today a 
sainted mother. The youngest daughter, 
Mary, now Mrs. Mollie Webster, has been 
a widow several years. She manages a 
large farm very successfully, and she is a 
great temperance and church worker. She 
has been county president of the White 
Ribbon Army for a number of years and is 
also treasurer of the Woman's Christian 
Temperance Union in the Twenty-first Con- 
gressional District of Illinois. It was she 
who taught Hon. William J. Bryan his little 
infant prayers. She taught and trained him 
m his first boyhood speeches. When he was 
in Salem once visiting his old home they re- 
viewed some of the scenes and incidents of 
their interesting childhood days. 

Dr. Robert Bryan was killed in a steam- 
boat explosion. 

Silas L. Bryan, father of Hon. William 
J. Bryan, was born in Culpeper Court 
House. Virginia, in 1822. He came to Illi- 
nois in [842, where he lived, died and was 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



233 



buried. He worked on a farm at nine dollars 
a month, saving his money to defray his ex- 
penses at McKendree College. During the 
winter while at college he would chop wood 
on Saturdays to help pay expenses. Many of 
his colleagues made fun of him, but in after 
years many of them, came to borrow money 
of him and to seek his legal advice. He was 
a man of sterling qualities, the kind that 
always make for success when rightly and 
persistently applied. He was a very devout 
Christian, always had family prayers, and 
he promised the Lord if He would prosper 
him to get through college he would pray 
three times a day the rest of his life. This 
promise he faithfully kept, praying morn- 
ing and evening at his home, and at 
noon wherever he happened to be. He 
would drop on his knees and ask God's 
blessings. He was a member of the Marion 
county bar for a period of thirty years, a 
member of the State Senate for eight years, 
and for twelve years was Circuit Judge of 
this judicial district. He was a member of 
the convention that framed the present state 
constitution of Illinois. He was a man of 
unusual tact, shrewdness, soundness of 
judgment and force of character, and it was 
from him that Hon. William J. Bryan in- 
herited his gift of oratory and his brilliant 
intellect. He imbued the boy with lofty 
ideals and taught him by example and pre- 
cept how to make a grand and noble man. 
Silas L. Bryan married Mariah Elizabeth 
Jennings, a woman of many praiseworthy 
traits and a devoted Christian wife and 
mother. She gave the best part of her life 



to the care of her family. She was truly "a 
mother in Israel." To this union were born 
nine children, namely: John H., Virginia, 
William J., Russell, Harry, Frances, 
Charles, Nancy and Mary. John and Vir- 
ginia died within six weeks of each other 
when young. William J. was born March 
17, i860. He was taught at home until ten 
years of age, after which he attended the 
public schools for five years, during which 
time he gave evidence of being a most pre- 
cocious child and one to whom the future 
augured great things. He afterward at- 
tended college at Jacksonville, Illinois, 
where he made a brilliant record for both 
scholarship and deportment. He then 
studied law in Chicago in the office of Ly- 
man Trumbull, making rapid progress from 
the first. He was admitted to the bar and 
successfully practiced for some time, finally 
entering the political arena, since which 
time his career has been too meteoric to need 
reviewing here, since his record is well 
known to all, and is given in detail in an- 
other part of this volume. Russell Bryan 
died in early manhood. Frances has a nice 
comfortable home in Shaw, Mississippi, and 
is a jolly, whole-souled woman, loved by 
everyone. Charles is a very successful busi- 
ness man in Lincoln, Nebraska. Nancy is 
a quiet, refined and modest girl. She was 
at one time William J.'s private secretary. 
Mary, the youngest of the family, became a 
successful school teacher. She has winning 
ways and is a great favorite. Russell 
Bryan, the youngest brother of Judge 
Br van, came to Salem in 1841. He was 



234 



B k Willi \l. \M> REMINISCENT IllSlokV OF 



familiarly known to all as "L'ncle Russ," 
being well known throughout the county. 
He was endowed with a wonderful memory. 
Often when i lutes or records of events 
seemed obscure lie was referred to, and sel- 
dom failed to give the correct names, dates 
or places desired. He had stock scales in Sa- 
lem for thirty years, or since 1878, and his 
weights were never questioned. He never 
went in debt for anything, and he never had 
a law suit, and as a result of his upright 
life he was honored and respected by all who 
knew him. He married Amanda L. Tully, 
who was always a very bright and active 
woman, a line financier and business woman 
of unusual ability and acumen. Twelve 
children have been born to this union as 
follows: Anna E., Alice J., John E., Lewis 
O., Andrew R.. Mark T., Silas L., Rosa A. 
The ninth in order of birth died in infancy. 
Minnie M . was next in order; then Emma 
A. and Adis M. Anna chose the teacher's 
profession when <|iiite young. She success- 
fully taught for twenty-four years, and after 
she became a widow and bad reached the 
meridian of life attended one of the state 
normals and graduated therefrom, since 
which time she taught in a normal train- 
ing school in Chicago and later in Salem. 
Alice J. is a very domestic woman, and her's 
is one of the coziesl homes in Salem. She 
is a natural artisl and at one time was quite 
a cultured singer. John E. is a prosperous 

lawyer in Salem. He was a school teacher 

for man\ years, ami has served as Master 
in Chancery for eighl years. He is noted 

for his honor and integrity. (A fuller 



sketch of John K. Bryan appears elsewhere 

in this volume.) Lewis O. is a lawyer at Van 
ISuren, Arkansas, and is quite wealthy. He 
is noted for his true philanthropy and is the 
poor man's friend. Andrew R. lives in 
Salem and is highly esteemed by all who 
know him. Mark T. died when six years 
old. Silas L. died in infancy. Rosa A. 
lives a mile from Van Buren, Arkansas, on 
a line fruit farm. She is a woman of thrift 
and has a bright, interesting family. Min- 
nie M. is a resident of Indianapolis. Emma 
A. resides in Centralia, this county. Adis 
M. is in the real estate business at Van 
Buren, Arkansas, and has become noted as 
a politician. 

Elizabeth Bryan, the judge's youngest 
sister, married George Baltzell, and they 
live at Deer Ridge, St. Louis county, Mis- 
souri. She is the mother of the following 
children, namely: Anna. Albert, Florence, 
Edwin. The last named died while in col- 
lege. They are influential and highly re- 
spected in their community. 

Thus it is no wonder that this family 
should become so useful and influential and 
should be leaders of society in its various 
phases, when we consider how they have 
kepi the even tenor of their way, how they 
were reared in "the fear and admonition of 
the Lord." and how they have kept the 
faith of their worthy ancestors, maintaining 
in all the relations of life that strict in- 
tegrity and loyalty of principle to lofty 
ideals and honorable records in private, 
commercial, professional and public life. 
The influence for good to humanity and 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



235 



the amelioration of the human race of such 
a noble family is too far-reaching and in- 
scrutable to be measured or contemplated 
with any degree of accuracy. Truly such 
characters are as "a shining light which 
grows more and more unto the perfect day," 
purifying, refining, strengthening and en- 
couraging the wayworn traveler on life's 
rugged steeps, teaching the less courageous 
that he who would ascend to the heights 
of life where the purer atmosphere that in- 
spires the souls of men may be breathed, 
must be true, loyal, ambitious, energetic, 
honorable and of indomitable energy 



THE CUNNINGHAM FAMILY. 

The name of Cunningham has long been 
an honored one in Clay county. Illinois, 
where for several generations have lived most 
worthy representatives of the family, who 
were, and are. always to be found associated 
with every movement which promised an 
addition to the community's wealth and ma- 
terial advancement. Especially is this true 
of the late John M. Cunningham, for many 
years a valued and honored citizen of Flora, 
and his son, Charles S.. the prominent busi- 
ness man and present head of the city govern- 
ment. The family is of Scotch origin and 
descends from an old and honored one of Vir- 
ginia, where was born Benjamin F. Cun- 
ningham, who. when a young man, made 
his way westward and settled in Clay county. 
becoming one of its earliest pioneers. He 



first located in the southern part of the county 
along Cottonwood creek and there engaged 
in the milling industry. His equipment was 
crude and his labor arduous, but by sturdy 
industry he succeeded. Later he came to 
Flora and engaged in the banking business 
under the firm name of the Cunningham and 
Harter Savings Bank. It was one of the 
pioneer institutions of the locality. This 
business he conducted with much ability un- 
til withn a year of his death which occurred 
in 1876. He possessed many rare and excel- 
lent traits of character, and abounding in~ 
dustry and was much honored and es- 
teemed. Among his children was John M. 

John Minor Cunningham was born near 
Flora, March 24, 1844, and was there 
reared and grew to manhood. He acquired 
such an education as the community afforded 
which was broadened in later life by reading, 
association, contact and native intelligence. 
He was associated with his father for some 
time in various enterprises, finally embark- 
ing in the jewelry business which he con- 
ducted profitably for many years. He was 
directly and indirectly connected with vari- 
ous other enterprises, ever putting his sh< ad- 
der to the wheel of progress, and was deeply 
interested in the growth and advancement 
of his native county, and in all that per- 
tained to its welfare. 

Mr. Cunningham first married on January 
1, 1866, Jennie E. Hawkins, whose early 
death occurred on September 24. 1874. To 
this union three children were born, one of 
whom died in infancy. Those living are 
Charles S., and Clyde L., the latter a resident 



236 



BIOGRAPHICAL \NI> REMIXISCKXT HISTORY OF 



of Julesburg. Colorado. The mother of 
these, whose death was sincerely mourned, 
was of Scotch ancestry, her mother and 
grandmother having emigrated from Scot- 
land. 

On February 3, 1876, Mr. Cunningham 
again married, the lady being Mary Eliza- 
beth Finch, a direct descendant of Sir Hene- 
age Finch, who was horn in Kent. England, 
in 1621, and whose eldest son. Heneage. was 
first Earl of Nottingham and was Lord 
Chancellor of England. Mrs. Cunningham 
was horn September -'5, 1854, and was the 
first white child born in Flora. To this 
marriage there came children as follows: 
Fremont, who died in infancy; Xelle. horn 
September 29, 1N-5. and married Jerry J. 
Bowman. October 22. 1902, and Max F., 
born April 14, 1883. 

Mr. Cunningham was a member of Flora 
Lodge No. 204. Ancient Free and Accepted 
MasOns, Order of the Eastern Star No. 105. 
Royal Arch Chapter No. 154. and of Grand 
Commandery No. 14. Knights Templar. He 
w.i^ much attached to these orders and highly 
prized the associations there enjoyed. He 
attended the Knights Templar conclaves al 
Boston, Louisville and Denver. At his death 
the funeral auspices were conducted by ( iorin 
Commandery No. 14, of Olney. He and his 
wife were for many years regular attend- 
ants and liberal contributors of the hirst 
Presbyterian church of Flora and of wh< 
board of trustees he was an honored mem- 
ber. \t the death of Mr. Cunningham. 
which occurred suddenl) and unexpectedly 
March 13, 1906, fitting and appropriate reso 



lutions were adopted by the various commer- 
cial, religious and fraternal units with which 
he was connected, and from these we quote 
the following: "From among us there has 
been taken a loving husband, a kind and in- 
dulgent father, a faithful friend, a genial 
companion, a successful business man and 
honored citizen and one whose place can 
not be filled." 

At a special meeting of the directors of 
the Mora National Bank, of which he was 
a director from January, 1893, to his death, 
suitable resolutions were drawn and spread 
upon the minutes. In part these resolutions 
said: "His counsels were always wise and 
at all meetings he took a prominent part. We 
feel our great loss and will miss the sound 
advice which he was ever ready and compe- 
tent to give, and bis good judgment in all 
matters pertaining to the bank." Resolutions 
of like character were adopted by the Ma- 
si mil- and other bodies. 

Of Mr. Cunningham on old friend has 
written: "A grand life indeed was that of 
John Minor Cunningham, a life set to the 
Golden Rule, to kind acts and ways, helpful 
at needed times, a friend to his fellowman, 
assisting, if it were a loss to him, aiding, if 
the sacrifice fell on him. and in an active 
business career covering many years he was 
ever fair and just in his dealings. He was 
associated with Flora from its infant state, 
aided in its growth, assisted in the introduc- 
tion of its schools, churches and public im 
stitutions. He was foremost in establishing 
business in Flora, co-operating with the best 
interests of the citv and its rural districts. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



*Z7 



daring and bold in the advocacy of social 
order, sober living, good government and 
fair and honest transactions of business." 

Charles S. Cunningham, son of John M., 
was born in Flora, March 2j, 1870, and, like 
his father, has lived there all of his life. He 
attended the public schools, afterwards en- 
tering the jewelry store of his lather. He 
long ago mastered every detail of the busi- 
ness and conducts perhaps the leading estab- 
lishment in that line of trade in Southern 
Illinois. 

Mr. Cunningham married in 1890, Eva L.. 
daughter of John Jackson, of Allegan, Michi- 
gan. To this union two sons have been 
torn, Rexford J., and Charles J. He has 
figured somewhat conspicuously in the politi- 
cal affairs of Flora and was first elected City 
Treasurer, in which capacity he served two 
years ; he was then Alderman for two years 
and in the spring of 1907 he was elected 
Mayor of Flora and has given the city an 
economical, efficient and thoroughly moral 
administration, taking the same care and 
interest in public affairs as he does in those 
of purely personal nature. Mr. Cunning- 
ham, it may be here stated, has not sought 
for or accepted office because of the honor 
that might be attached thereto, but has been 
actuated solely by a desire to lend the best 
efforts that is in him toward the maintenance 
of law and order and the growth and ad- 
vancement of the city and its commercial, 
moral and material worth. He has been es- 
pecially vigorous in the enforcement of lo- 
cal option laws and is earnestly advocating a 
system of water and other municipal advan- 



tages. Aside from his official duties and his 
personal affairs, Mr. Cunningham is also 
prominently connected with various other 
enterprises, being a director and vice-presi- 
dent of the First National Bank of Flora, a 
director of the Breese-Trenton Coal and 
Mining Company and of the Friend Tele- 
phone company of Flora. He is a Repub- 
lican in politics ; fraternally he is a member 
of the Flora Lodge Xo. 204, Ancient Free 
and Accepted Masons, of the Knights of 
Pythias, and of the Ben-Hur lodge. He is 
a member of the Illinois State Historical So- 
ciety of Springfield, and both he and Mrs. 
Cunningham are members of the Methodist 
church of Flora. Mr. Cunningham appears 
entirely capable of emulating the example of 
his worthy progenitors and is closely follow- 
ing in their footsteps. He possesses an un- 
blemished character, a strict integrity, an in- 
telligent appreciation of his responsibilities 
and a faculty of accomplishment. He fully 
realizes that these traits of character have 
described through the blood of his ancestry 
and to whatever heights he may be destined 
to ascend, his most valued possession, his 
greatest pride shall ever be that priceless her- 
itage of his forefathers — an honored name. 



LEVI MONROE KAGY. 

In the collection of material for the bio- 
graphical department of this publication 
there has been a constant aim to use a wise 
discrimination in regard to the selection of 



*8 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY 01 



subjects and to exclude none worthy of rep- 
resentation within its passes. Here will be 
found mention of worthy citizens of all vo- 
cations, and at this juncture we are per- 
mitted t" offer a resume of the career of one 
of the substantial and highly esteemed, in 
fact, one of the leaders of the industrial 
world of tlti> section of the state, where he 
has long maintained his home and where he 
has attained a high degree of success in his 
chosen field of labor and enterprise. 

Levi Monroe Kagy, the popular and well 
known president of the Salem State Bank, 
of Salem. Marion county, Illinois, was born 
near Tiffin, Senaca county, Ohio, December 
15, 1855, the son of David Kagy, also a 
native of Seneca county, who came to 
Marion county, Illinois, in the year 1859. 
He devoted his life to agricultural pursuits 
which he made successful and at the time 
became a man of much influence in his com- 
munity and well known as a scrupulously 
honest and public-spirited citizen. He was 
called from his earthly labors February 8, 
1887, after a very active and useful life. 
The mother of the subject was known in 
her maidenhood as Sarah Milley. She is a 
woman of man) estimable traits and is the 
recipient of the admiration and esteem of a 
large coterie of friends and acquaintances 
in the vicinity where she is still living in 
1908 on the old homestead where she and 
her worthy life companion settled nearly a 
half century ago. To Mr. and Mr-. David 
Kagy were born only two children, Alice A. 
a woman of fine attributes, who is making 
her home with her mother; and Levi Mon- 



roe, our subject. The parents spared 
no pains in giving these children every pos- 
sible care and advantage and the wholesome 
environment of their home life is clearly re- 
flected in the lives of the subject and his 
sister. 

< >ur subject lived on the parental farm 
until he was twenty-live years old and as- 
sisted his father with the farm work, giving 
him all bis earnings up to the time of hi* 
maturity, and it was while thus engaged in 
the free outdoor life of the farm that he 
acquired many qualities of mind and body 
that have assisted very materially in his sub- 
sequent success in life. He attended the 
neighborhood schools where he applied him- 
self in a most assiduous manner, outstrip- 
ping many of his classmates, and therefore 
gained a broad and deep mental foundation 
which has since been greatly developed by 
systematic home study and contact with the 
world. After receiving what education he 
could in the home schools Mr. Kagy taught 
several terms of school in a most praise- 
worthy manner, teaching in the winter 
months and farming in the summer, having 
possesed not only a clear and well defined 
text-book training, but also the tact to deal 
with his pupils in a manner to gain the best 
results, at the same time winning their good 
will and lasting friendship. 

\fter reaching young manhood. Mir. 
Kagj decided that his true life work lay 
along a different course than that of farm- 
ing and school teaching, so he accordingly 
began to save bis earnings in order to de- 
fray the expense of a course in Knion Col- 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION* COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



239 



lege of Law at Chicago, now the North- 
western University, and he graduated from 
that institution with high honors on June 
14, 1883, after having made a brilliant rec- 
ord in the same for scholarship and de- 
portment. 

He at once began practice at Salem, 
where his success was instantaneous, and 
with the exception of one year spent on the 
farm after his father's death, he has been 
in Salem ever since where he is now recog- 
nized as one of the most potent factors in 
her civic, industrial and social life. Air. 
Kagy practices with uniform success in 
county, state and federal courts, and his ser- 
vices are in constant demand in cases re- 
quiring superior ingenuity and apt ability. 
His untiring energy, indefatigable research 
and persistency have made him successful 
where less courageous characters would 
have quailed and been submerged. 

Something of the subject's peculiar and 
unquestioned executive ability is shown 
from the fact that he was one of the princi- 
pal organizers in 1903 of the Salem State 
Bank, one of the most substantial, popular 
and sound institutions of its kind in south- 
ern and central Illinois. Mr. Kagy is presi- 
dent of the same, the duties of which he 
performs in a manner to gain the unqualified 
confidence of the public, and the citizens of 
Salem and Marion county do not hesitate to 
place their funds at his disposal, knowing 
that they could not be trusted to safer and 
more conservative hands. He is also stock- 
holder in the First National Bank of Kin- 
mundy. Illinois. He also helped organize 



the Haymond State Bank of Kinmundy, and 
afterwards was instrumental in merging this 
institution with the First National Bank of 
that city. Air. Kagy was appointed Master 
in Chancery of Marion county in 1889, and 
afterwards twice re-appointed. He has 
served as president of the Salem School 
Board and declined re-election. In all these 
public capacities he displayed unusual 
adroitness in handling the affairs entrusted 
to him. 

Mr. Kagy's happy and harmonious do- 
mestic life dates from May 18. 1887, when 
he was united in marriage to Alice Larimer, 
the youngest daughter of the late Smith 
Larimer, an ex-Treasurer of Marion county, 
an influential and highly respected citizen. 
.Mrs. Kagy is a cultured and highly accom- 
plished woman of many estimable attributes 
and possessing a gracious and pleasing per- 
sonality which makes her popular among a 
wide circle of friends and acquaintances, 
and she presides over the modern, cozy, 
elegantly furnished and beautifully appoint- 
ed home of the subject and family with 
modest grace and dignity. Into this model 
home two bright and interesting children 
add sunshine and cheerfulness. They are: 
John Larimer, who was born February 22, 
1888, now a student, in 1908, in the Uni- 
versity of Illinois, where he is making a 
splendid record ; and Leigh Monroe, who 
was born March 15. 1901 ; a girl died in in- 
fancy. 

In 1898, during the Spanish- American 
war. Mr. Kagy was active in organizing a 
company, and was elected captain of the 



_>40 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



same; after much drilling it was ready to go 
to the front. Later Mr. Kagy was appointed 
by Gov. John B. Tanner, major of Pitten- 
ger's Provisional Regiment. Although it 
was fully ready to go to the front it was not 
called upon to do so. 

Levi M. Kagy was one of the twenty-two 
men who subscribed twenty-two thousand 
dollars in order to induce the Chicago & 
Eastern Illinois Railroad shops to locate in 
Salem. The public-spirited and energetic 
disposition of the citizens of this progressive 
city can be ascertained by the statement that 
this sum was raised in cue night. Mr. Kagy 
was in San Francisco at the time, but his 
friends volunteered to vouch for him for 
eleven hundred dollars, and he promptly 
paid the full ajnount upon his return home. 
Mr. Kagy always practiced law alone until 
January, 1907, when he took E. B. Van- 
dervort, <>f Portsmouth, Ohio, as an as- 
sociate. They have a splendid and well 
equipped suite of rooms in the Kagy Build- 
ing. Mr. Kagy, although interested in many 
industrial enterprises, gives his time almost 
exclusively to his law practice which is very 
large and which requires the major part of 
his time. 

Fraternally our subject is a member of 
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the 
Knights of Pythias and the Woodmen. He 
ha> occupied the chairs in the local Odd Fel- 
lows lodge, and is one of the trustees of 
the 1. ( ). < 1. F. I >ld Folks' Home of Illinois, 
1 if Matt "Hi, Illinois. 

Mr. and Mrs. Kagy and their oldest son 
are members of the Presbyterian church. 



In politics he is a stanch advocate of the 
principles and policies of the Democratic 
party, with which he has been affiliated from 
the time of attaining his majority, and he 
has ever lent his aid in furthering his party's 
cause, being well fortified in his political 
convictions, while he is essentially public- 
spirited and progressive. In all the rela- 
tions of life he has been found faithful to 
every trust confided in him and because of 
his genuine worth, splendid physique, 
courteous manners and genial disposition 
he has won and retains the warm regard 
of all with whom he associates. 



SAMUEL F. I'll I LI. I PS. 

\mong the members of the many families 
of early settlers who have forged to the 
front in the realm of public life and in their 
daily avocations in Marion county. Illinois, 
few indeed, have reached a higher standing 
than the subject of this sketch, whose long 
life has ever been associated with the prog- 
ress of the county, especially in the township 
where he resides. 

Samuel F. Phillips was born October jo. 
[829, in the vicinity of ( 'larksville. Mont- 
gomery county, Tennessee. His father, Jona- 
than Phillips, came of a well known family 
in the state where he resided, and his moth- 
er's maiden name was Sarah Fowler, who 
came of a family equally well connected. 
Jonathan Phillips' father was Samuel Phil- 
lips, who. together with his wife, Nancy 




MRS. NANCY. I'll I I.I.I I'S. 




S. F. PHILIPS. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



24I 



(Crow) Phillips, born in Virginia, were 
among the earliest settlers in Tennessee. The 
elder Phillips was a hardy and industrious 
farmer and he and his wife lived a long life 
on their farm in Davidson county, Tennes- 
see, where they reared a family of eight 
children ; four sons and four daughters. 
The sons were David, Thomas, George and 
Jonathan, the father of Samuel F. 

Jonathan Phillips spent the early part of 
his life on his father's farm, and he re- 
ceived a limited education in the common 
schools in the neighborhood of his home. 
When he had reached manhood he married 
and in 183 1 he and his wife drove in the an- 
tiquated vehicles of the period across the 
long stretches of country, starting from 
Montgomery county, Tennessee, finally 
landing and settled in section 1, Centralia 
township, Marion county, Illinois. At this 
time he obtained one hundred and sixty 
acres of government land at one dollar and 
twenty-five cents per acre, which farm he 
added to at different times until he had six 
hundred acres, becoming a farmer of more 
than average industry and he succeeded in 
improving and changing the appearance of 
the property. Though well known and 
widely respected in the locality, he never 
aspired for public patronage. In politics 
he was first a Whig and on the disappear- 
ance of the older party became a Democrat. 
He was a member of the Presbyterian 
brotherhood in religious life and a sturdy 
upholder of that belief. As a man and an 
active farmer, he was well known and 
16 



widely esteemed. The date of his birth was 
in the year 1799, and his death occurred 
on April 2, 1856. His wife was born July 
20, 1806, and died July 10, 1893. Her 
father, William Fowler, lived in Montgom- 
ery county, Tennessee, where he died. He 
had married a Miss Fyke and their union 
brought forth four children, two sons and 
two daughters, namely : Drury, Richard, 
Sarah, the mother of the subject of our 
sketch, and Mary. 

Jonathan Phillips and his wife reared six 
children, James George Washington, died 
1856, was a fanner, married Margaret 
Sugg, and lived at home until his death. 
Another was Samuel F., the subject of this 
sketch. William, who married Rebecca Al- 
len, was a farmer in Centralia township 
where he died in 1859. Joseph R. died 
April 2, 1862. Nancy married Isaac Phil- 
lips and lived at Cobden, Illinois. She, as 
well as her husband, is dead. John P., a 
fanner in Centralia township, married three 
times : first, Vitula Cazy ; second, Martha 
Norfolk ; and third, Ida Johnson. 

As a boy, Samuel F. Phillips had little 
chance to go to school. However, he attend- 
ed the local subscription schools at infre- 
quent intervals. The circumstances of his 
youthful schooling did not affect him in after 
life, for he was always of an observant and 
intelligent turn of mind and in this way as- 
similated much useful information. He 
was of much assistance to his father in im- 
proving the paternal residence, and he re- 
mained there in a useful capacity until his 



-4- 



BIOGR AMI It Al. AND REMINISCENT IIISTOKY or 



thirtieth year. In 1850 in Davidson county, 
Tennessee, lie married the daughter of 
Thomas and Eliza (Chadwell) Phillips, of 
the same county and name, his wife's first 
name being Nancy Jane. This Phillips fam- 
ily had come to Marion county, Illinois, set- 
tling there in section 12, Centralia township, 
in 1852. The father spent his life on the farm 
in his new surroundings where he died; 
his wife died in Odin, Illinois. The children 
of the marriage were: Nancy Jane, the wife 
of Samuel F. Phillips, the subject of this 
sketch; Martha E., who married Noah 
Wooters, both deceased; Mary K., who was 
the wife of James Stroup, both of whom 
are dead; Minerva T., the wife of Dr. J. J. 
Fyke, of Odin; Sarah B., the wife of W. 
D. Farthing, attorney-at-law, at Odin; 
George died young, at home; William H., 
druggist at Iuka, Illinois, lives in Centralia 
township. He married Frances Summer- 
ville; Samuel D., druggist at Odin, married 
Jessie Lester; John G. married Laura John- 
son, and lives in Oklahoma. 

Samuel F. Phillips and his wife lead a 
happy domestic life and have had nine chil- 
dren. His sons and daughters are mostly 
all married and are important factors in the 
life of the community. William W. is a 
farmer in Centralia township and is married 
to Malissa Rial. Sarah E. married John 
11. McGuire, engineer on the Illinois Central 
Kailmad at Centralia; they have two chil- 
dren, Tressa and Erma. Etta, the widow 
of G. W. S. Bell, lives near Centralia. 
Patra married John F. Guymon, of Cen- 
tralia, and they have one daughter. P.eulah. 



Martha B. is the wife of Charley Whit- 
church, of Centralia township, and the moth- 
er of three children, Carl, Boyd and Harry. 
Allie married W. B. Carr, of Raccoon town- 
ship. Alphia married Joseph L. Hill, of 
Ewing. Illinois. Samuel T. married Nora 
Sutherland, of Centralia township, and has 
two children, Hazel, born October 17, 1905, 
and Samuel Howard, born March 7, 1907. 
Samuel T. is a fanner in Centralia township. 
George Robert, another son, who is at home 
working with his father, is unmarried. 

In the year i860. Samuel F. Phillips lo 
cated on his present property. Since then 
he has striven to enhance the value of the 
land. It consists of two hundred and fifty 
acres. He principally engages in stock 
raising and does a general farming business. 

Samuel F. Phillips is a member of the 
Missionary Baptist church and is influen- 
tial in church advancement matters. In 
politics he gives his support to the Demo- 
cratic party. The first time he exercised his 
right to vote he recorded it for Granville 
Pierce. 

The subject of this sketch has received 
fitting public recognition. His record as Jus- 
tice of the Peace is of forty-four years' 
standing, and he has been a Notary Public 
fi >r fourteen years. He has been associated 
with the Board of Trustees of Centralia 
township for twenty years. For sixteen 
years he has been Township Assessor. 
He is also a member of the board 
of township hi p L;h school. He is still 
in harness, his seventy-nine years weigh 
but lightly upon him. and it is the wish 



RICHLAND. CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



243 



of a large circle of friends that he be 
long spared to his affectionate family, and 
to the people of his township for whom he 
has worked so diligently. 



CHARLES S. CUNNINGHAM. 

The subject of this sketch occupies a 
prominent place in the esteem of the people 
of Flora and Clay county, and is universal- 
ly respected and as a business man fair 
dealing is his watchward in all his trans- 
actions. He is optimistic, looking on the 
bright side of life and never complains at 
the rough places in the road, knowing that 
life is a battle in which no victories are 
won by the slothful, but that the prize is to 
the vigilant and the strong of heart. 

Charles S. Cunningham, the present pop- 
ular Mayor of Flora, Illinois, was born in 
this city, March 27. 1870. the son of John 
M. Cunningham, who was a native of Clay 
county. He was the founder of the jewelry 
business now conducted by our subject, 
which he carried on successfully until 1896, 
when our subject bought the business. In 
March of that year John M. Cunningham 
was called from his earthly labors. B. F. 
Cunningham, grandfather of the subject, 
was a native of Virginia, who came to Clay 
county when a young man and was one of 
the first settlers, having first located in the 
southern part of Clay county, called Cotton- 
wood creek, and there engaged in the mill- 
in"' business. Later he came to Flora and 



established the Cunningham & Harter Sav- 
ings Bank, which he conducted until about 
1875. He died in 1876. The Cunningham 
family is of Scotch origin. The mother of 
the subject was Jennie Hawkins, whose 
people were also of Scotch descent, her 
mother and grandmother having emigrated 
from that country. Mrs. John M. Cun- 
ningham passed to her rest about 1875. 
Three children constituted this family, one 
of whom died in infancy; the subject's 
brother, Clyde L. Cunningham, lives in 
Julesburg, Colorado. 

Charles S. Cunningham has spent all of 
his life in Flora, where he attended the pub- 
lic schools and received a good education. 
He went to work when eighteen years old 
in his father's jewelry store, and has been 
identified with the same ever since. He 
long ago mastered every detail of the busi- 
ness and is one of the leading jewelers of 
this part of the state, having a mod- 
ern and nicely furnished store, and an ex- 
cellent and carefully selected stock. 

Mr. Cunningham was united in marriage 
in 1890 to Eva L. Jackson, the daughter 
of John Jackson, of Alleg - an, Michigan, and 
to this union two sons have been born. Rex- 
ford J. and Charles J., whose ages at this 
writing are fifteen and twelve, respectively. 
They are attending school and making ex- 
cellent progress in their studies. 

Mr. Cunningham has figured' somewhat 
conspicuously in the political affairs of 
Flora, and was first elected City Treasurer 
in which capacity he ably served for two 
vears. He was then Alderman for two 



-•44 



BIOGRAPHN VL VND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



year--, and m the Spring of 1007, he was 

elected Mayor of Flora, and he has given 
the citv a very economical administration, 
managing its affairs with as much care as 
lie does his individual business. He has 
been vigorous in his fight against illegal 
liquor selling, the saloons having been voted 
out when he was elected. In many ways 
he has benefited the community in a last- 
ing and material way. At the present time 
plans and specifications are making for a 
system of water works, and Mayor Cun- 
ningham is very much interested in secur- 
ing this for the city. 

The subject has won definite success in 
the financial world through his close appli- 
cation to business and his honorable meth- 
ods. He is a director and vice-president in 
the First National Bank, also a director in 
the Breese-Trenton Coal Mining Company. 
the head offices of the company being in 
St. Louis. He is also a director in the 
Friend Telephone Company, of Flora. 
Fraterally he is a member of the Flora 
Lodge No. 204. of Masons, also the Ben 
llur and the Knights of Pythias. He is a 
member of the Methodist church as is also 
Mrs. Cunningham. Mayor Cunningham is 
a member of the Illinois State Historical 
iety of Springfield, and in politics he is 
a Republican, always taking an active in- 
terest in his party's affairs. His fearless- 
ness in the discharge of his duties and his 
appreciation of the responsibilities that de- 
volve upon him are such as to make him a 
most acceptable incumbent of the Mayor's 
office, and his worth is widelv acknowl- 



edged, while his record as a business man 
has l>een so honorable that he has gained 
the confidence and trust of all with whom 
he has been brought in contact. 



J. E. BRYAX. 



The gentleman whose name heads this 
sketch has long enjoyed prestige as a lead- 
ing citizen of the community in which he 
resides, and as an official against whose 
record no word of suspicion was ever uttered 
he has been for years an important factor 
in the history of Marion county, Illinois. 
His prominence in the community is the di- 
rect and legitimate result of genuine merit 
and ability, and in every relation, whether 
in the humble sphere of private citizenship 
or as a trusted public official, his many ex- 
cellencies of character and the able and im- 
partial manner in which he discharged his 
every duty won for him an enviable repu- 
tation as an enterprising and representative 
self-made man. He was for some time a 
prominent figure at the local bar, but desir- 
ing the more prosaic routine of the abstrac- 
ter, lie abandoned the legal profession and 
has for many years successfully conducted 
an abstract office in Salem, being known 
throughout the county in this line of work. 

J. E. Bryan was born two and one-half 
miles north of Salem, July 4, 1851, the son 
of A. R. Bryan, a native of Virginia and a 
fine old southern gentleman, who came to 
Illinois when a boy. He was a tanner by 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



2 45 



trade and after a busy, successful and hon- 
orable career passed to his rest in 1901. He 
lived first at Shawneetown, then at Mt. 
Vernon, later at Walnut Hill, then at Salem, 
where he spent the balance of his life. The 
mother of the subject was Amanda Tully, 
whose people came from Tennessee and were 
among the first settlers in Marion county, 
having come here when the prairies were 
overrun by red men and wild beasts, but 
they were people of sterling qualities and 
surmounted every obstacle, winning a com- 
fortable home as a result of their habits of 
industry and economy. The maternal 
grandfather of the subject was the first 
Sheriff of Marion county. This family con- 
sisted of twelve children, nine of whom are 
living in 1908, namely: Mrs. Anna Tor- 
rence, who resides on the old homestead, 
where the mother of the subject was born, 
in Salem ; Mrs. Alice J. Kite, who is also 
living at the old homestead in Salem ; J. E., 
our subject ; Lewis O., living in Van Buren, 
Arkansas; Andrew R., of Salem; Mrs. Rosa 
Kagy, living in Arkansas ; Mrs. Minnie 
Fisher, of Indianapolis, Indiana ; Mrs. 
Emma Shepherd, of Centralia, Illinois; Ad- 
is. living at Van Buren. Arkansas. The 
mother of the subject, who was a woman 
of many praiseworthy traits, passed to her 
rest several years ago. Mr. Bryan's father, 
A. R. Bryan, was a brother of Silas Bryan, 
father of \Y. J. Bryan. 

J. E. Bryan was reared in Salem, and he 
preferred to risk his fortunes in his native 
community rather than see uncertain success 
in other fields, consequently he has spent his 



life right here at home. He attended the 
common schools at Salem, applying himself 
most diligently to his text books and at 
the age of twenty began to read law, making 
rapid progress from the first, and in 1876 
he was admitted to practice, his success be- 
ing instantaneous and he soon became 
widely known as an able practitioner in all 
the local courts; but after twenty years of 
arduous work at the bar, during which time 
he built up an extensive business and won 
the unqualified confidence and esteem of a 
large clientele and of his brothers in the 
legal profession, he abandoned the law and 
opened an abstract office in Salem since 
since which time he has devoted his time 
and attention to this business with gratify- 
ing success as indicated above. In his fra- 
ternal relations Mr. Bryan is a member of 
the Knights of Pythias. 

Mr. Bryan was married in 1876 to Jo- 
sephine W. Pace, a native of Salem and the 
accomplished representative of an old and 
highly respected family. No children have 
been born to this union. 

Something of the confidence which the 
people of Salem repose in our subject will 
be gained when we learn that he has been 
School Treasurer of Salem township for 
over thirty years at the time of this writing, 
1908. He has devoted much attention to 
the development of the local public school 
system with the result that much has been 
accomplished toward making the Salem 
schools equal to any in the country. Mr. 
Bryan was also Master in Chancery for 
Marion county for a period of eight years, 



-'4'' 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



which responsible position lie filled with 
great credit to himself and to the entire 
satisfaction to all concerned. In business he 
has always been successful and is at present 
one of the stockholders of the Salem State 
Bank. He has ever had the welfare of his 
community at heart and has always been 
found willing to devote his time to any 
movement looking to the development of the 
public weal, and as a result of his genuine 
worth, his pleasing demeanor, integrity of 
principal and honesty of purpose, he is to- 
day recognized as one of Marion county's 
foremost citizens. 



MICHAEL E. RAIT 



Michael E. Rapp was burn in Wurtenburg, 
Germany, April 3, 1843, the son of Leon- 
hart and Margaret I Kbcrhardt ) Rapp, both 
natives of Germany, where they were mar- 
ried and where they lived on a farm until 
[853, when they emigrated tn the United 
States, having come across the Atlantic in 
a sailing vessel, the voyage requiring fifty 
days. They did not encounter many storms 
On the way. hut the slow passage was caused 
by the absence of winds. They landed in 
New York, where they remained a few days 
when they went to Buffalo, touching at Al- 
bany, Philadelphia and other points on the 
way. having been three days making the 
trip. The parents of the subject settled at 
Buffalo and remained there until their death. 
the father dying about (891, at the age of 



nearly seventy-live years, having been sur- 
vived by his widow for about two years, she 
dying in 1893, having reached the age of 
seventy-five. Both are buried in the city 
cemetery there. They were the parents of five 
children, only two of whom grew to ma- 
turity, three having died in childhood, the 
subject being the oldest in order of birth. I te 
remained with his parents until he was about 
twelve years of age, when he came to Ohio 
to live with an uncle who was engaged in 
the smelting business where he remained for 
nearly two years, when he came to Indiana, 
and later returned to Buffalo, New York, 
where he undertook to learn the brass fin- 
ishing business, but he remained at this for 
only about two years, when hard times caused 
the shop to practically close down. The 
subject then went hack to Indiana, working 
on a farm in Vanderhurg county by the 
month until the war broke out. when he en- 
listed and mi August iS. [862, was mustered 
into service at Indianapolis, Company E. 
Thirty-second Indiana Volunteer Infantry, 
under the command of Captain Eslinger. 
The subject was at once sent south and im- 
mediately marched to the front, joining the 
regiment just after the battle of Shiloh. 
From that time on he was in all the engage- 
ments of his regiment, hut was never cap- 
tured or wounded, however, he had many 
'"close calls" from both. Some of the prin- 
cipal battles in which he fought in a most 
gallant manner, according to his comrades, 
were: Stone River, Liberty Cap. Chicka- 
mauga. Missionary Ridge. The regiment 
was later sent tn Knoxville to re-enforce 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



247 



Rnrnside, where they remained during the 
winter of 1863 and 1864. having suffered 
greatly from cold weather and exposure, 
and lack of clothing. In the following 
summer the subject took part in every en- 
gagement from Tunnel Hill to Atlanta, 
Georgia, and endured many great hard- 
ships and privations. He was mustered 
out of sen-ice at the close of the war. June 
25, 1865, having been honorably discharged. 
Mr. Rapp then returned to Indiana and on 
November 24, 1868. was united in marriage 
with Catherine Frye. in Evansville. She was 
born in Posey county, Indiana, December 24, 
1848, the daughter of Michael and Charlotte 
( Stauff ) Frye, both natives of Wurtenburg, 
Germany, where they married. They came 
to the United States about 1840, landing in 
Xew York, but soon came on to Indiana, set- 
tling in Posey county on a farm in the midst 
of the wilderness where they experienced 
many hardships in clearing the land and de- 
veloping a home for themselves and family. 
They remained there the rest of their lives, 
their home having been in Parker township. 
The mother of Mrs. Rapp died in August, 
1850, at the age of thirty-two years, the 
father having survived several years, later 
remarrying. They were the parents of six 
children, four of whom grew to maturity. 
Mrs. Rapp being the youngest of the number. 
Mr. Frye's death occurred February 16, 
1 86 1, at the age of fifty-one years. He was 
buried in the St. Peter cemetery and his wife 
in the Methodist cemetery of the old Brick- 
church. Parker township. Mrs. Rapp re- 
mained at home with her parents until her 



father's death when the home was broken up 
and she went to work out for herself, which 
she continued to do until her marriage with 
the subject. Her education was obtained in 
the German schools of Posey county, but she 
never learned to read or write English, for 
she was not permitted to attend school long- 
in those early days. The same was true with 
our subject who attended school for a time 
in Germany before he came to the United 
States. He also went to school a short time 
in Buffalo, Xew York, learning to read and 
write German, but received only a meagre 
English education. 

When our subject and his wife were mar- 
ried they lived in Evansville, where Mr. Rapp 
worked as a stationary engineer until he 
moved to Illinois in March, 1876, when 
they settled in Richland county, in Denver 
township, near the Clay county line on a 
farm where they lived for about two years, 
when they moved to the place where they 
now live. 

"Ten children have been born to Mr. and 
Mrs. Rapp. nine of whom have grown to 
maturity, one having died in childhood. They 
are: George M., Edward Frederick, de- 
ceased ; Michael, deceased ; John Henry, Car- 
oline, Catherine, Daniel W., Margaret, Eve 
Charlotte and Mary E. George M., who mar- 
ried Celia Ruppert. resides on a farm in Den- 
ver township. Catherine is the wife of Wal- 
ter Coffee, residing in Stonington. Christian 
county, Illinois. The other children are all 
single and make their home with their par- 
ents on the farm. 

Mr. Rapp has served on the County Board 



>4* 



l: i;\N!H'AI. AM) REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



as Supervisor in Denver township for two 
years, and an unexpired term of Township 
Clerk, also served as School Trustee for a 
period of nine years. His son held the office 
of Township Clerk at the time of his death. 
Mr. Rapp has always been a Republican, lie 
is a member of the Grand Army of the Re- 
Public. Mr. and Mrs. Rapp and some of 
their children are members of the Methodist 
church in Denver township, having' long- 
taken an active part in church work, the sub- 
ject having been a steward in the church 
for several years, which office he now very 
creditably holds. 



THE SCHWARTZ BROTHERS. 

Eminent business talent is composed of a 
combination of high mental and moral at- 
tributes; although these are essential, there 
musi be sound judgment, breadth of capa- 
city and rapidity of thought, justice and 
firmness, the foresight to perceive the course 
of the drifting tides of business and the 
will and ability to control them. The sub- 
jects of this review afford a striking exem- 
plification of this talent, in a very high order 
of development and of such character as to 
gain them worth) prestige in business cir 
ind positions of commanding influence. 

The Schwartz brothers, Joseph and 
Frank, are not onlj twins but their lives 
and interests have been s (l closely inter- 
woven, their purposes and ideals so nearly 
identical and their achievements of such 



similar character that the history of one is 
practically the history of both. 

As the name indicates the Schwartz fam- 
ily is of German origin, the subject's father, 
Bernard Schwartz, having been a native of 
Luxemburg, where his ancestors had lived 
for many generations. When a young man 
Bernard Schwartz came to the United 
States and located at Worcester. Massa- 
chusetts, where he worked for some years 
at the tailor's trade and where in due time 
he married Christina Lacroix, who was also 
of German birth. Disposing of his inter- 
ests in Massachusetts in 1855 he moved to 
Salem, Illinois, where he opened a shop and 
conducted a very successful tailoring busi- 
ness for a number of years, the meanwhile 
by judicious investments and careful man- 
agement becoming the possessor of a large- 
amount of valuable property in various 
parts of Marion county, and earning the 
reputation of an enterprising and praise- 
worthy citizen. From 1868 until his death 
in the year [906 Bernard Schwartz lived a 
life of honorable retirement, but kept in 
close touch with business matters, amassed 
considerable wealth and for a number of 
years was classed with the financially solid 
and reliable men of Salem, lie was a fine 
type, of the successful German-American, 
possessed t<> a marked degree of the ster- 
ling qualities for which his nationality is 
distinguished, did much to promote the ma- 
terial interests of his .adopted city and his 
death was deeply lamented by all who knew 
him. Bernard and Christina Schwartz 
were earnest and devout Catholics in their 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



249 



religious belief and trained their children in 
the faith of the Holy Mother church, to the 
teaching of which they have been ever true 
and loyal. Their oldest child, a daughter, 
by the name of Flora, is the wife of Mi- 
chael Berens, and lives in Salem ; the twins, 
Frank and Joseph being the next in order of 
birth ; Christine died when four years of 
age and Bernard, the youngest of the fami- 
ily, a young man of fine business ability and 
high social standing, departed this life on 
the 15th day of January, 1907. Like his 
older brothers, Bernard Schwartz pos- 
sessed much more than ordinary powers of 
mind and had reached an important and in- 
fluential position in the business world, 
when his brilliant and promising career was 
untimely terminated by the stern hand of 
death. He was a graduate of the Salem 
high school with the honors of his class, 
after which he took a pharmaceutical course 
in which he became especially proficient and 
for a number of years served on the State 
Board of Pharmacy, to which position he 
was first appointed by Governor Tanner, 
and later by Governor Yates and had not 
death intervened he doubtless could have 
held the place indefinitely as Governor De- 
neen signified his intention of reappointing 
him a short time prior to his demise. 

Joseph and Frank Schwartz, to a brief re- 
view of whose career the reader's attention 
is here respectfully invited, were born on 
August 29th, of the year 1859. in Salem, 
and spent their childhood and youth in their 
native town. As indicated in a preceding 
paragraph their lives having been passed 



under similar circumstances were in most 
respects strikingly similar, nevertheless to a 
better understanding of the purposes and 
ambitions of each it is deemed proper to 
give their early lives separately. 

Joseph Schwartz was reared under ex- 
cellent home influences and during his 
youth received from his parents a thorough 
instruction in the basic principles of moral- 
ity and correct conduct so that while a mere 
lad he became so imbued with these princi- 
ples as to make them a rule by which his sub- 
sequent life should be governed. At the prop- 
er age he entered the public schools of Sa- 
lem and in due time completed the pre- 
scribed course of study graduating from 
the high school with the class of 1877. Ac- 
tuated by a laudable desire for a more thor- 
ough scholastic training he subsequently 
became a student of the State University at 
Champaign, where he prosecuted his studies 
and researches until 1881 when he was 
graduated with an honorable record, im- 
mediately after which he engaged in the 
drug business with his brother Frank, their 
place of business being the store room on 
the site originally occupied by the house in 
which he was born. 

By diligent attention and successful man- 
agement the Schwartz brothers soon built 
up a large and lucrative patronage and it 
was not long until they led the drug busi- 
ness in Salem, their establishment being the 
largest and most popular of the kind not 
only in the city but in the county. From 
the beginning the enterprise prospered be- 
yond their highest expectations and proved 



'50 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



the source of an ample income which being 
judiciously invested in due time placed them 
"ii the high road to fortune. 

Frank Schwartz, like his brother, spent 

his early life pretty much after the manner 
i«t" the majority of town lads hut unlike 
many was not permitted to eat of the bread 
of idleness, during the formative period of 
his character when fancy paints with glow- 
ing colors the future and holds out to the 
unwary those pleasures which have no sub- 
stantial foundation and which if identified 
invariably terminate in regret and remorse. 
Under the guidance of his parents he grew 
up to the full stature of well rounded man- 
hood with a proper conception of life and 
its duties and responsibilities and with the 
idea ever paramount that all true success 
and advancement must depend upon con- 
secutive toil and endeavor. After obtaining 
a good practical education in the public 
schools of Salem, he entered at the age of 
sixteen the drug store of D. K. Green & 
Son, where he clerked for a period of four 
years, during which time he devoted his at- 
tention very carefully to the business with 
the object in view of ultimately engaging 
in the trade Upon his own responsibility. At 
the expiration of the time indicated he pur- 
chased an interest in the establishment, 
which during the following year was con- 
ducted under the name of Green & 
Schwartz: Ins brother. Joseph, then bought 
Mr. Green's interest and under the firm 
name of Schwartz Brothers, the business 
grew rapidly in magnitude and importance 
and, as already stated, soon became the 
leading establishment of the kind in Salem. 



and proved to be the source from which no- 
small part of their subsequent fortune grew. 
Meanwhile the Schwartz Brothers turned 
their attention to various other lines of 
business becoming largely interested in real 
estate, agriculture and horticulture, which 
with other enterprises of an industrial and 
financial nature paved the way to the high 
position they now hold in business circles, 
and gave them much more than local re- 
pute as capable, judicious and eminently 
honorable business men. Without follow- 
ing in detail the different lines of enterprise 
to which the Schwartz brothers have given 
attention, suffice it to state that all of their 
undertakings have been prosperous and they 
are today not only the leading business men 
of their own city and county, but occupy a 
conspicuous place among the leaders of in- 
dustry in the southern part of the state. In 
1907 they disposed of their drug housej 
since which time they have not been active- 
ly identified with any particular enterprise, 
devoting their attention to their large prop- 
erty interests and other investments, being 
heavy stockholders in the Salem State Bank 
and owning extensive tracts of real estate 
in Marion and other counties, including one 
fruit farm of one hundred and sixty acres, 
two and a fourth miles southeast of Salem, 
another consisting of eight hundred acres 
within a reasonable distance of the county 
seat, besides being associated with Mr. 
Rogers in the fruit evaporating business, 
under the firm name of Rogers & Schwartz 
Brothers, they do an immense and far- 
reaching business. They are also mem- 
bers of the real estate firm of Telford & 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



251 



Schwartz, which with loans and insurance, 
constitutes the most successful business of 
the kind in the city. They own the 
Schwartz Block, one of the largest and most 
valuable properties in Salem, and as mem- 
bers of the firm of Rainey & Schwartz, own 
Rainey Lake, also a large pear orchard 
which adds much to their liberal and con- 
stantly growing income. In addition to the 
interests enumerated the Schwartz broth- 
ers have many other valuable holdings in 
both city and country, including the busi- 
ness block occupied by the Sweeney & 
Company's drug stock, a large lot at the 
rear of the State Bank, also quite a num- 
ber of private dwellings in various parts of 
the town to say nothing of a vast amount of 
valuable personal property and bank ac- 
counts, comparing favorably in bulk with 
those of any other depositor in the county. 

Under the name of Schwartz Brothers, 
by which the firm has always been known, 
Joseph and Frank Schwartz have filled a 
prominent place in the business affairs of 
Salem and Marion county, and from the be- 
ginning their careers present a series of 
continued successes which have placed them 
among the most progressive men of their 
clay and generation in southern Illinois and 
earned them state wide reputation in busi- 
ness and financial circles. 

They are politicians of the Democratic 
school and alive to all that concerns the 
best interest of their party. Religiously they 
are loyal to the tenets of the Roman Catho- 
lic church in which they were reared and 
for which they have the most profound love 



and regard contributing liberally to its ma- 
terial support and by their daily lives ex- 
emplifying the beauty and value of the 
principles and doctrines upon which it is 
based. 

Joseph Schwartz was married in the year 
1886 to Clara Rose, of Salem, daughter of 
Gordon Rose, an engineer on the Baltimore 
& Ohio road, and a most excellent and 
praiseworthy citizen. The pledges of this 
union are two bright and interesting daugh- 
ters, namely : Helen, born in 1893, and Chris- 
tine, whose birth occurred in the year 1905. 
The domestic life of Frank Schwartz dates 
from the 8th day of July, 1896, at which 
time he was united in the holy bonds of 
wedlock at Indianapolis, Indiana, with An- 
nie Trimpe, of that city, a union terminated 
by the death of the wife on Thanksgiving 
day, 1903, after bearing her husband two 
children, Mattie Christine and Emma Ger- 
trude, born in 1897 and 1901, respectively. 
On September 19, 1907, Mr. Schwartz 
chose a second wife and companion in the 
person of Mrs. Fannie Simpson, of Salem, 
a lady of many estimable qualities, who 
presides over his household with grace and 
dignity and who is deeply concerned in all 
of his undertakings making his interests her 
own and contributing not a little to his suc- 
cess. Fraternally Joseph Schwartz is iden- 
tified with the ancient and honorable Ma- 
sonic brotherhood and also holds member- 
ship with the Orders of Woodmen and Ben 
Hur, in all of which he is an active and in- 
fluential worker, which may also be record- 
ed of his brother, Frank. 



BIOGRAPHK \L AND RKM 1 MSCEN'T HISTORY OF 



HOX. HARVEY W. SHRIXER. 

Mr. Shriner stands admittedly among the 
leaders of the legal profession in Southern 
Illinois, where he has long been practicing" 
in all the courts, often handling some of 
the most important cases on the various 
dockets. Being courteous, genial, well in- 
formed, alert and enterprising, he is rec- 
ognized as one of the representative men of 
Clay county — a man who is a power in his 
community. 

Harvey \V. Shriner was born in Vinton 
county. Ohio. October 25, 1S61, the son of 
Silas Shriner, also a native of Ohio. He 
was a farmer and came to Clay county, Il- 
linois, in October, 1864, remaining here un- 
til his death in June. 1906. His grand- 
father was Francis Shriner. a native of 
Pennsylvania, who afterward removed to 
Ohio. He also devoted his life to agricul- 
tural pursuits. The subject's mother was 
Susan Luse, whose people were from Ohio. 
She is living in Flora, and is a woman of 
gracious personality. Six children were 
born to the subject's parents, five of whom 
are living. They are: Ibbie, deceased; 
Mrs. Louisa Frame, of Chicago; Harvey 
\Y.. the subject; Albert <i.. of Springfield, 
Illinois : Mrs. Ida Mc< iregor, of Flora ; 
Pearl V., who is living on the old home 
farm, five miles northeasl of Flora. 

Mr. Shriner received his primary educa- 
tion in the Flora public schools, and then 
attended business college atCarmi, Illinois. 
Then he attended the National University 



at Lebanon, Ohio, making a splendid rec- 
ord for scholarship. He taught school for 
six winters in Clay county. He made his 
way through school. Believing that the 
legal profession was best suited to his tastes, 
he began the study of law and was admitted 
to the bar in February, 1887. In June fol- 
lowing he formed a partnership with D. C. 
Hagle, a prominent lawyer. This partner- 
ship proved! to be a very strong one and 
lasted up to the death of Mr. Hagle in 
1897, since which time the subject has been 
practicing alone. He was successful from 
the first and his practice has steadily in- 
creased until he is now a very busy man. He 
has a well equipped law library, which is 
kept stocked with the latest legal books and 
decisions. He was elected State's Attorney 
of Clay county, in 1888. on the Republican 
ticket. And he was re-elected in 1872 and 
in tS<)_>. having faithfully performed the 
duties of this office. He was again elected 
in 1896. He has been a member of the 
Hoard of Education for several terms and 
also Supervisor of his township. In 1904 
Mr. Shriner made the race and was tri- 
umphantly elected to the Legislature, serv- 
ing one term in a manner that proved the 
wisdom of his constituents in selecting him 
for their representative. He voted for and 
was one of the original advocates of local 
option. A conclusive proof of his popular- 
ity is the fact that he ran ahead of his ticket 
when elected to the Legislature. 

In November, [905, Mr. Shriner was ap- 
pointed Deputy Revenue Collector for Di- 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



-'53 



vision Xo. 4, of the Thirteenth District of 
Illinois, which he has very creditably held 
to the present time. 

Mr. Shriner was happily married in Sep- 
tember, 1885. to Emma Critchlow, of 
Louisville, Clay county, the representative 
of an influential family of that place. To 
this union three sons were born : Austin D., 
Carlton C. and Silas. Mrs. Shriner was 
called to her rest in January. 1896. After- 
wards the subject was married again, his 
last wife being Frances Higginson. of 
Flora, and to this union one winsome 
daughter. Mabel, has been born. 

Mr. Shriner owns a valuable and well 
improved farm in Standford township, this 
county, five miles northeast of Flora, in 
which he takes much interest. He is a good 
judge of stock, and some good breeds may 
be found on his place. Fraternally he be- 
longs to the Masons and the Woodmen. 

Mr. Shriner takes an abiding interest in 
local affairs and labors for the welfare of 
the county, looking beyond the exigencies 
of the moment to the possibilities of the fu- 
ture, working not alone for what will bene- 
fit his fellow citizens today, but also for 
what will be of advantage at a later time. 
He is a man of distinct and forceful in- 
dividuality, as is evidenced by the fact that 
he started out in life on his own account, 
without money or influential friends to aid 
him. He looked at life, however, from a 
practical standpoint and placed his de- 
pendence upon elements that are sure win- 
ners in the race for success — persistent pur- 
pose, indefatigable industry and unabating 
energy. 



WILLIAM H. FARTHING. 

The subject has long been recognized as 
one of Marion county's foremost business 
men, holding high rank among the finan- 
ciers of the community in which he lives and 
whose interests he has ever had at heart and 
which he has ever striven to promote in 
whatever laudable manner that presented it- 
self. The life of Mr. Farthing has been led 
along high planes and has been true to 
every trust that has been reposed in him. 

William H. Farthing, the well known 
banker of Odin, Marion county, Illinois, 
was born in Odin, February 2, 1869, and 
not being lured away by the wanderlust 
that caused so many of his contemporaries 
to leave the old hearth stone he has pre- 
ferred to live here. He is the son of 
George and Susan (Michaels) Farthing, 
natives of the state of Mississippi, 
Grandfather Farthing was from Kentucky, 
having come to Marion county, Illinois, in 
the fifties and settled in this vicinity where 
he worked a farm, and where he spent the 
remainder of his days having died in the 
seventies. Both he and his wife were Bap- 
tists. They were the parents of five chil- 
dren. 

The father of our subject was born in 
Logan county. Kentucky, and received his 
education in the Blue Grass state. He de- 
voted his life to farming and railroading, 
and was about sixty years old at the time 
of his death. He left a widow and six 
children. The subject's mother is living at 
the age of fifty-three. Our subject was the 
second child in order of birth. He received 



254 



BIOGKAl'HK \I. ANH REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



his education in tin- public schools ol Odin, 
hut was obliged to leave school at the age 
of twelve years, when he commenced clerk- 
ing in a store in which he continued for ten 
years, in the meantime developing into an 
excellent salesman. Beini; cc< momical, he 

enabled at the end of that time to pur- 
chase one-half interest in the store from his 
savings. He continued in this store for an- 
other period of ten years, during which time 
the trade of the firm rapidly increasd, cus- 
tomers coming from all parts of the county. 
because of the reputation of the firm for 
fairness and courteous treatment had ex- 
tended to all localities roundalwmt. Mr. 
Farthing finally sold his interest in the store. 
He then handled real estate and other lines 
for two years with gratifying success. Then 
he purchased the hank at Odin, which had 
been started some time previous. Under 
Mr. Farthing's management it was soon 
placed on an excellent hasis and it was pat- 
ronized by the local people and by the farm- 
ers in that locality, for Mr. Farthing's name 
gave the hank a sound prestige, for every- 
one knew that their funds would he entirely 
safe entrusted to him. owing to his natural 
ability as a financier and his reputation for 

sty in all his business dealings. The 
bank is still under his management, he be- 
ing the soU- owner. This hank was first 
opened for business in May. 1<;05. 

Our subject was first married on Novem- 
ber 15. 1893, '" Effie Sugg, a native of 
Odin. Four children were horn to this 
union, one of whom is living. Ira J. F., 
whose date of birth occurred A.UgUSl 17. 



iN<)N. The subject's first wife was called to 
her rest April 12. 1901. and Mr. Farthing 
was again married on September 12. 1906. 
to Ida .V Kell. of this county, the daugh- 
ter of James and Martha ( MeWham) Kell, 
natives of this county. Joseph MeWham 
is paymaster at the present time in the 
United States Army. The grandfather, 
Robert MeWham, was a soldier in the Civil 
war in the One Hundred and Fifty-Third 
Illinois Volunteer Infantry, in which he 
served about two years and was honorably 
discharged at the close of the war. Our 
subject has one child by his last wife. Mar- 
tha, who was born September 7. 1907. 

In his fraternal relations Mr. Farthing is 
a member of the Masonic Blue lodge, the 
Chapter, the Knights Templar, also the In- 
dependent Order of Odd Fellows, and the 
Woodmen and Eastern Star. He has 
passed all the chairs in the Blue lodge and 
the Odd Fellows. He has been a delegate 
to the grand lodge of the state of Illinois. 
Mrs. Farthing is a member of the Presby- 
terian church. Mr. Farthing is a Demo- 
crat in his political relations and has al- 
ways been interested in his party's welfare. 
giving his time and influence to the work of 
his party in the county. He was elected 
and served in a most creditable manner as 
City Clerk. Alderman and was also presi- 
dent of the Town Hoard and is at this writ- 
ing Treasurer of the city of Odin. He has 
long been noted throughout the count) for 
his honesty, integrity and fair dealing, and 
his interest in all movements tending to pro- 
mote the county's welfare in any manner 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



255 



possible, and as a result of his sterling worth 
his integrity and his pleasing manner, he is 
held in high regard by all classes and has 
hosts of friends. 



JOHN J. FYKE, M. D. 

One of the representative members of the 
medical fraternity in Marion county is the 
subject of this sketch, who is engaged in 
practice in Odin, and who holds high rank 
in his profession, while his ability and cour- 
tesy have won him the confidence and es- 
teem of all who know him. 

Dr. Fyke is a successful, self-made man. 
Peculiar honor attaches to that individual, 
who, beginning the great struggle of life 
alone and unaided, gradually overcomes un- 
favorable environment, gaining at last the 
goal of success by the force of his own in- 
dividuality. Such is the record, briefly 
stated, of this popular citizen of Odin, Il- 
linois, to a synopsis of whose life and char- 
acter the following paragraphs are devoted. 

Dr. John J. Fyke was bom in Marion 
county in 1842. the son of Joshua A. and 
Margaret ( Wilson) Fyke, the latter being 
the first female white child born in the coun- 
ty, a distinction of which anyone might be 
justly proud. The date of her birth was in 
1822. and in 1908 she is still living, being 
in possession of her full faculties. It is in- 
teresting to hear her tell of the great 
development she has seen here since the 
early pioneer days — wonderful, indeed, the 



most wonderful progress in the history of 
the world, having been made during the 
lapse of her long life. Her people came to 
Illinois from North Carolina, in 1818. and 
settled among the earliest pioneers in this 
locality. They took up government land, 
and developed excellent farms. Her parents 
reared their children here and died here at 
advanced ages. There were three boys and 
three girls in this family. Grandfather 
Fyke was reared in North Carolina and 
moved to Tennessee, where he spent the 
balance of his days. 

The father of the subject was born in 
1812, an historic year in our national his- 
tory. His father was a fanner and lived to 
an advanced age, having reared a large fam- 
ily. His wife also lived to be very old. The 
father of our subject came to this county in 
1839. His early educational advantages 
were limited, but he was a great reader and 
finally became well informed. He was a 
Methodist and an exhorter. He made polit- 
ical speeches, and was a loyal Democrat. 
He was Justice of the Peace for thirty 
years. His family consisted of twelve chil- 
dren, five boys and one girl having lived to 
maturity. Two brothers of the subject liv- 
ing in Kansas City, Missouri, are practicing 
attorneys. 

The early education of the subject of this 
sketch was obtained in the common schools, 
of this county and one year in McKendree 
College. Lebanon, Illinois. He then com- 
menced reading medicine under the direc- 
tion of Doctor Davenport, of Salem, where 
he continued for three years, making a 



256 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REM IN I si T-:. NT HISTORY OF 



splendid record for scholarship. During 
this time he attended medical college, part 
of the time at Chicago and the balance at 
St. Louis, making splendid records at both 
places, lie commenced practice in 1 866, 
bavins' located in Odin, where he has con- 
tinued practice ever since, lie was success 
fnl from the start and his patients are now 

numerous that he can hardly find time to 
do anything outside of his regular work. 

Doctor Fyke was united in marriage in 
1867 to Minerva Phillipps, a native of Ten- 
nessee, the daughter of Thomas and Eliza 
{ Chad well) Phillipps. They were natives of 
Tennessee, having moved to Marion county. 
Illinois, in 1855. They settled on a farm 
here where they spent the remainder of 
their lives and where they died, both having 
lived to an old age. having reared a family 
of eight children. 

Three children, all boys, have been bom 
to our subject and wife, namely: Edgar E., 
who was born in l868, who is now a prac- 
ticing physician, and the father of three 
children, all girls. The second and third 
children of Dr. Fyke and wife were twins. 
Thomas Emmett and Josiah Harley, who 
were born in [872. They are both living 
on a farm near Odin. 

Our subject in his fraternal relations is a 
Mason, having passed all the chairs in the 
I lodge. He is a trustee of the Metho- 
dist church, of which both he and his wife 
are faithful members and liberal supporters. 
The doctor is a loyal Democrat, lie i- a 
member and presidenl of the pension board. 
Dr. Fyke is one of the well known men in 



Marion county, where his long and success- 
ful career has been spent, and has a pleas- 
ant and well furnished home in Odin. 



CHARLES C. SANDERS. 

The subject has seen the development of 
Marion county from an obscure wild prairie 
district to one of the leading counties of 
the state, and he has done his full share in 
promoting the industrial and civic affairs of 
the county, ranking today among her best 
known and most highly honored citizens. 

Charles C. Sanders was born in Centralia 
township, Marion county, December 21, 
1848, the son of Robert and Nancy (Cop- 
pie) Sanders, both natives of Indiana. The 
father came to this county a single man in 
an early day and married here. He was al- 
ways a farmer and blacksmith, having 
bought a farm in Centralia township which 
he sold and went to Missouri, where he re- 
mained a short time, then came back to 
Centralia township and bought another 
farm on which he lived until his death in 
1855. His wife died in 1854. They were 
the parents of six children, namely: Cath- 
erine, deceased; Charles C, our subject; 
John, deceased; Samuel, Robert and the 
youngest child was a boy. The subject's 
parents died when he was small and he went 
to live with John Thomas for three years in 
Centralia township, also three years with 
John McClelland, who was his guardian 
until 1865. 

When seventeen years old our subject 



RICHLAND, (.LAV AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



-?7 



went to enlist in the Union army as a sub- 
stitute, but his uncle prevented him from en- 
listing. He then went to work out at 
different places, until he was nineteen years 



old. On December 28, li 



he married 



Martha Jane Hudlow, who was born De- 
cember 11. 1849, m Jefferson county, Illi- 
nois, the daughter of James and Roxanna 
(Hildibiddle) Hudlow. James Hudlow 
died in 1849. His widow then married 
Alexander Garren ; her third husband was 
John Sprouse, and her fourth husband was 
George Birge. She died in 1898. Mrs. San- 
ders had one sister who married Thomas 
Groves. She lived in Indiana. 

After his marriage the subject lived on 
his father's place for a time, then he traded 
for his present farm in section 25, Centralia 
township, where he has one hundred and 
twenty acres. It had only a few improve- 
ments on it when he took charge, but being 
a hard worker he developed a good home 
and a fine farm, about half of the place now 
being cleared, on which highly productive 
land he raises corn, hay, apples, peaches, 
pears and much small fruit, and he also 
raises some good horses, hogs and cattle, 
and carries on a general farming business 
with great success, being a good manager. 
He has always been a farmer, but he found 
time to operate a threshing machine for 
twenty-seven years and did a thriving busi- 
ness. 

Mr. Sanders is a Democrat and he has 
held minor offices, having served on the 
school board. He is a member of the Chris- 
tian church. 

17 



The subject and wife are the parents of 
six children, namely: Robert C., a farmer 
in Clinton county, this state, married Addie 
J. Cameron and they have five children, 
namely : Fred, Dwight, Claude, Melinda and 
Menzo. Mary Etta, the second child of the 
subject, married Elmer Satterfield, of Rac- 
coon township, and they have the following 
children : Frank, Bert, Clara, James, Sarah 
and Ottie. Nancy, the subject's third child, 
married Edgar Morrison, lives at Odin, Il- 
linois, and has three children, Jessie, Charlie 
and Mary. Lillie, who married George 
Day, lives at Odin, Illinois, and has one 
daughter, Pearl ; Edgar is a farmer in Rac- 
coon township, this county, who married 
Delle Martin, and they have two children, 
Ruby and Floyd ; Dicey May is living at 
home. 

Our subject is a well known man in this 
county where he has many friends and bears 
an exemplaiw reputation. 



DAXIEL C. GENOWAY. 

The people of Denver township, Rich- 
land count}'. Illinois, point to Daniel C. 
Genoway as one of their most valued citi- 
zens, admiring him for his high moral 
character, for his life among them for more- 
than a half century may well be likened 
unto an open book. That they place implicit 
confidence in him is evidenced by the fact 
that they have elected him to several town- 
ship offices, the duties of which he dis- 



258 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



charged with credit. He made his advent 
into the world in the pioneer days, and 
-pent his boyhood days upon the farm. 

Mr. Genoway was born in Clermont 
county, Ohio, September 7. [831, and in 
his early "tern-" left the farm to become an 
a pi 1 rent ice to a carpenter. He also learned 
the cooper's trade, but did not work at it 
for a great length of time. The father of 
the subject was Joseph Genoway. His 
mother's maiden name was Rebecca (ruin 
baugh, born in Ohio in [799. The paternal 
grandfather of the subject, Joseph Geno 
way, came from his native France, as one 
of General LaFayette's soldiers to aid the 
America colonists in the Revolutionary 
war. Liking the country, he remained here 
becoming a citizen of the young republic, 
and finally settling in Connecticut. Mr. 
Genoway's maternal grandfather, Jacob 
Crumbaugh, emigrated from Germany to 
tin- country, settling in Kentucky, and a 
few year- later was married to Mary Baker, 
of Maryland, whose ancestors were from 
< lermany. 

I he subject came- to what is now Denver 
township, Richland county, in 1855, and 
worked industriously at his trade, building 
many dwellings and barns. He and Philip 
Heltman, well known in this locality, were 
engaged in building a barn in Jasper county 
during the day- of the Civil war. when a 
recruiting officer happened to pass, and <le- 
scending from the roof Mr. Heltman en 
listed on the spot Mr. Genoway was mar- 
ried to Ruth McGuire in January. 1861. 
Their children were Charles Vanlanding- 



ham, horn October 27, [862; Peter Elmer, 
horn February ti. [865. The first named 
was educated for the medical profession, 

and after some local practice being anxious 
to advance, studied medicine in New York 
City, Vienna, Austria and Rome. lie is 
now an eminent physician in Spokane, 
Washington, lie has a wife and three chil- 
dren. Peter Elmer was educated at Olney, 
and is now a professional teacher. lb- 
holds a high official position in the Ben llur 
fraternity. He married Mis- Eva McLain, 
and has two children. Some time after the 
birth of these children the wife of the sub- 
ject died, and on March 7. [869, he es- 
poused Martha Washburn. His second 
wife was born in Denver township. Febru- 
ary 22, [851, and was the daughter of Hen- 
ry and Eleanor (Card) Washburn. Her pa- 
ternal grandparents were Willis and Xan- 
c\ 1 Ulender) Washburn, born respective- 
ly in i~9<) and 1801. Her uncle. Joseph 
Washburn, was a soldier in Wilders' fa- 
mous brigade, as was her uncle. James 
Washburn, who died in the army hospital 
at \'ew Albany. Indiana. Her ancestors 
were generally members of the Raptist 
faith. The subject and his wife had six chil- 
dren : Harry K. was born February <). 1870. 
He ha- traveled extensively, but is now at 
home with his parents: Rebecca F... born 
November 11. 1871. died the same year; 
John II.. born March 5. 187^. married to 
Florence Watt- in [894, and lives near bred- 
ricktown, Missouri, being a miner; Lemuel 
T., born September 6, 1874, served in the 
Spanish war ami died October [9, 11)04; 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



259 



Lillie M., born February 2, 1877, now the 
wife of Clifton O. Walker, of Piatt county, 
with three children. Fern, Martha and Del- 
bert ; George Andrew Louis, born Novem- 
ber 7, 1883, married December 24. 1905. to 
Bertha Cook, was in the regular army as 
telegrapher in Alaska for three years, and 
received from the government one hundred 
and sixty acres of land near Wendt, South 
Dakota, where he is now operator and ex- 
press agent, and where he owns in addition 
to government land a tract of equal size 
which he purchased. 

The father of the wife of the subject, 
Henry R. Washburn, is still an active man 
at the age of eighty-three years, and lives 
in Piatt county. Plinois. He was twice 
married and the fruit of each union was 
nine children. When he first came to Il- 
linois he worked for fifty cents a day. and 
through his own efforts acquired a farm of 
two hundred acres. Mr. and Mrs. Geno- 
way are known as very charitable people, 
and they are now raising two little girls, 
who were left homeless, Frances Steward 
and Cora Cagel. The former was taken into 
the home when eleven years old, and the 
latter when two years old. 



FRANK BRADFORD. 

The subject of this review enjoyed dis- 
tinctive prestige among the enterprising 
men of Marion county, having fought his 
way onward and upward to a prominent 



position in industrial circles and in every 
relation of life his voice and influence were 
on the side of right as he saw and under- 
stood the right. He was always interested 
in every enterprise for the general welfare 
of the community and liberally supported 
every movement calculated to benefit his fel- 
low men ; and although the last chapter in 
his life drama has been brought to a close 
and he has been called to a higher sphere 
of action, his influence is still felt for good 
in his community and he is greatly missed 
by hosts of friends and acquaintances. 

Frank Bradford was born in Weymouth, 
Medina county, Ohio, August 10, 1852, 
where he spent his boyhood days and at- 
tended the common schools. About 1865 he 
came with his father, George Bradford, and 
family to Flora, Plinois, where the father 
conducted the old Buckeye House and where 
Frank engaged successfully in farming and 
trading until 1879, in which year he was 
happily married to Mary E. Hull, the only 
daughter of the late Erasmus Hull, and to 
this union a son and a daughter were born, 
the former having died in infancy ; the latter 
is now Mrs. Roland C. Brinkerhoff. Of 
Mr. Bradford's own family but two sisters 
survive in 1908, namely: Mrs. Minnie 
Bettis, of Arkansas, and Rose Lebus, of 
Ardmore, Oklahoma. Mrs. Bradford, a 
woman of many fine traits, is living in Salem 
in the cozy, substantial and well furnished 
Bradford residence. Frank Bradford was 
a descendant of the ninth generation of 
Gen. William Bradford, of Revolutionary 
fame. George Bradford, father of our sub- 



21 K I 



BIOGRAPHICAL \ X I > REMINISCENT MI-luKY OF 



ject. was born in Rowley, Essex county, 
Massachusetts, and he was called to his rest 
while living in Arkansas. The mother of 
the subject was known in her maidenhood 
as Abalinda Russell, who was born in Hart- 
ford, Connecticut, April 10, 1823, and she 
was called to her reward wliile living in 
Flora, Illinois, February 27, 1872. at the 
age of forty-eighl years. The subject's 
parents were of the best blood and reputa- 
tion and were much admired in whatever 
community they lived for their honest and 
hard-working lives. 

When but a mere lad Mr. Bradford united 
vith the Methodist Episcopal church at 
Flora. Illinois. He was received into the 
Methodist church in Salem by letter on De- 
cember 1 2, [879, under the pastorate of Rev. 
Fred L. Thompson and he remained in that 
faith, an ardent supporter of the church un- 
til his death. 

Soon after his marriage, Mr. Bradford 
located in Salem and entered upon a long 
and honorable business career of which all 
speak with words of praise. Being of a 
jolly disposition and having a kind word 
for everyone, he commanded, perhaps, the 
largest patronage of any single salesman in 
the community. His scrupulously honest 
methods and his natural ability also at- 
tracted scores of customers. He first en- 
tered the mercantile establishment of Hull 
and Morris. In 1880, Mr. Hull having 
purchased the interest of Mr. Morris and 
also the interest 1 if Scott Muggy in the firm 
of Atkin & Muggy, the two stocks were 
combined under the firm name of Hull & 



Atkin, and Mr. Bradford took a position 
with this iinn which soon became E. Hull 
\ Son, changing later to the Hull Dry 
Goods Company and then to C. E. Hull. 
Mr. Bradford remained through all these 
changes, having been regarded as indispens- 
able to the linn's business, until he went as 
manager for the firm to Kinmundy, where 
he remained for a short time building up the 
trade in a very substantial way. and later 
he was manager for Hammond & Hull in 
Salem. While conducting the latter busi- 
ness Mr. Bradford suffered an attack of ner- 
vous prostration and was very sick for a 
time. Both for recreation and as a means 
of regaining his health he began managing 
his farm, spending only an occasional day 
in the store; but improvement was not so 
rapid as was expected for the long and 
strenuous life in the commercial world had 
undermined his health so extensively that 
rapid improvement and even recuperation 
could not be expected, consequently on Wed- 
nesday night, February 6, 1907, when he 
was planning to attend a meeting of the 
Pythian Sisters in company with his wife, 
about 5 130 o'clock in the afternoon, he was 
seized with an attack of apoplexy while at 
his home. This soon developed into paraly- 
sis of the left side which soon became com- 
plete. He remained in an unconscious state 
until 6:50 the following morning, when the 
white winged messenger came. The funeral 
services were conducted at the residence 
Saturday afternoon following, by Rev. J. 
( '•. Tucker, of the Methodist Episcopal 
church and interment was made in the 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



26l 



family lot in East Lawn Cemetery. The 
floral offerings were beautiful and elaborate 
from the many friends of the deceased and 
also from the Knights of Pythias and Inde- 
pendent Order of Odd Fellows lodges, the 
Pythian Sisters and the Rebekahs, of which 
orders either he or Mrs. Bradford had been 
consistent members. And the great throng 
of sorrowing friends and acquaintances that 
came to pay a last tribute to their much 
loved friend attested as fully as was possible 
the love and high esteem in which Mr. 
Eradford was held by every one who knew 
him. Public-spirited and liberal he was 
ever in the forefront of all plans for im- 
provement and the betterment of Salem and 
his sudden calling away was a distinct loss 
to the entire community, for his life had 
been industrious, scrupulously honest and 
kind. 



JAMES HARVEY DELZELL. 

James H. Delzell is justly proud of the 
fact that his ancestors were among' those 
hardy pioneers who endured with great for- 
titude the numerous perils and hardships 
that beset men and women who sought 
homes in the wilderness of the new republic 
in its earlier days. Mr. Delzell is one of 
the striking figures in Denver township, 
Richland county. Illinois, not only from a 
physical, but a mental standpoint. He is a 
man who has seen much of the world, and 
has kept in touch with human events. He 
ranks among the heaviest land owners in 



the township, and such possessions as he 
holds he has accumulated through the prac- 
tice of honest and straightforward business 
methods. 

The subject is the son of John N. Delzell, 
and was born in Tennessee August 13, 
1845. His father, who was born December 
29, 1818. in Blount county, died December 
12, 1903. He was educated in a college at 
Marysville, Tennessee, and after leaving 
that institution became a teacher, and later 
engaged in mercantile business. He re- 
moved to Denver township in 1861 with 
his family and team, and with eighty-four 
dollars in his pocket. Through his indus- 
try he eventually accumulated farm land 
amounting to four hundred acres, a large 
portion of which he cleared for cultivation. 
The grandfather of the subject, Robert Del- 
zell, came to Denver township in 1853, and 
died there. He was born about 1788, and 
was a soldier in the War of 1812. His 
wife, whose maiden name was Dorcas Da- 
vis, was of Scotch ancestry, and her father 
served as a soldier during the Revolution- 
ary war. The subject had five brothers and 
two sisters. Daniel, born July 5, 1847, was 
educated for the ministry, while John, 
whose birth occurred September 9, 1849, 
became a teacher, and was for many years 
Clerk of Olney, Illinois. Both of these 
brothers were educated at McKendree Col- 
lege, Lebanon, Illinois, and both are now 
dead. William H. was born April 27, 1852, 
and is now a resident of Wichita. Kansas, 
having - retired from active life. Charles 
was born October 27, 1855. and died in 



21 >J 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



early manhood. The birth of Alice I Del- 
zell) Adams occurred February 28, 1858, 
while Laura (Delzell) Mitchell was born No 
vember -'4. i860. The date oi George's 
birth was August _>4. [868, ad he lives at 
Newton, [llinois. 

The subject married Martha Lowe March 
J4. [868, and their children were 1 >. \Y. 
and Mrs. < ira (Delzell) Hoel. The former 
was married to Teressa Tippett, and they 
have six children, Mattie, Howard, Grace, 
I. ester. Edna and Mabel. Mrs. Hoel, daugh- 
ter of the subject, is the mother of three 
children. The subject has been married 
four times, his second wife having been 
Emma Monroe, his third Nancy Adeline 
Hardin. His present wife, whose maiden 
name was Mary Jackson, was born Novem- 
ber J J. [854, and married May 10. 1X77. 
Their children are: John, born March I, 
[88l, a merchant at Palestine. Illinois; Mrs. 
Sadie Dauwalder, born November 27, [882; 
Mrs. Dora Seessengood, born July 26, 
[884; Elsie, born September 21, [888; Ed- 
ward, bom October 26, [890; Myrtle, born 
Ma) 6, [893; Raymond, October 31, [895. 

The father of Mrs. Delzell, Cornelius 
Jackson, died April 1. [894, aged sixty 
years. The subject of this -ketch is the 
owner of two hundred and twent) acres of 
well improved kind, and has been one of 
most active agriculturists in this com- 
munity, combining the cultivation of the 
soil with st,,ck- raising and shipping. The 
family of which lie is a member has al- 
ways preserved an honorable name, and is 
highly esteemed in this county. Mr. Delzell 



was made a Mason m [866. He has strong 
religious conviction-, and is a member of 
the Methodist Episcopal church of long 
standing. 



JOHN E. MARTIN. 

John E. Martin has spent his entire life 
in Salem. Illinois, having been born here 
December 24, 1857, the son of Gen. James 
S. Martin. His mother was known in her 
maidenhood as Jane Elston, of English 
ancestry. The parents of the subject were 
married in Salem. To them were born seven 
children, three of whom are living, namely: 
John E., our subject; Luther, living in 
Salem; and Mrs. Grace M. Webster, also of 
Salem. They all received the most care- 
ful training possible by their parents and 
were given good common school educations. 
I he subject's father, whose life historj is 
given in detail on another page of this 
work, passed away in 1007, after a long and 
busy career, and the mother of the subject, 
who was a woman of beautiful attributes, 
ailed home in 1889. 

John E. Martin, our subject, -pent his 

boyh 1 in Salem, where he attended the 

common schools, making a splendid record 
in the same. I le later attended the Claverack 
1 Xew York) Military School, and a 
private school at Kennett Square, Penn- 
sylvania, which was later moved to Media, 
that state. He also went to school at I'.oon- 
ville, Missouri, to the Kemper Family 
school. In both of the latter he made rapid 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



-263 



progress and came out well fitted for life's 
duties. After leaving school Mr. Martin 
launched in the dry goods business in Salem 
in which he continued with marked success 
attending his efforts for a number of years. 
finally moving his store to Sandoval, Illi- 
nois, where he also remained for several 
years, building up an excellent trade by rea- 
son of his minute knowledge of this line 
of business and his courteous treatment of 
customers, always giving them value re- 
ceived. In 1 888 our subject assisted his 
father, who was State Chairman of the Re- 
publican State Committee, in the clerical 
work, and after the campaign he accepted 
a position with J. B. Farwell Company at 
Chicago, as salesman, and he remained with 
this firm for five or six years, giving entire 
satisfaction in his work. He came back to 
Salem about 1890 for the purpose of ac- 
cepting a position with the Salem Na- 
tional Bank which he has been connected 
with since that time, giving the managers 
of this institution entire satisfaction and 
handling his position in such a way as to 
increase the prestige of the bank and reflect 
much credit upon his innate ability. He 
has prospered by reason of his executive 
ability and modern business methods until 
he has accumulated considerable property, 
owning at this time valuable fanning lands. 
He is also a stockholder in the Salem Na- 
tional Bank. 

Mr. Martin's domestic life dates from 
June 18. 1894, when he was united in mar- 
riage with Clara Merritt, the accomplished 
daughter of Hon. T. E. Merritt. an old and 
respected family of Salem. This union has 



been blessed by the birth of five children, 
two of whom are living and three deceased. 
Their names are: The first child died in 
infancy, unnamed ; James Stewart and Mar- 
garet Merritt, twins, are both deceased; 
Merritt Elston and Alice Jane are living, 
both bright and interesting children. 

Mr. Martin takes a great interest in 
church work, being a member of the Episco- 
pal church, to which his wife also belongs. 
He has been interested in helping build the 
new church on West Union street, which is 
one of the most attractive and subtsantial 
little churches in Salem. In politics Mr. 
Martin is a loyal Republican, always ready 
to lend a helping hand to promote the in- 
terests of his community whether along po- 
litical, educational, moral or religious lines. 
The home of the subject is nicely furnished, 
and presided over with rare grace and 
dignity by Mrs. Martin, who is often host- 
ess to numerous friends of this popular 
family. Mr. and Mrs. Martin are pleasant 
people to meet, always courteous and kind. 



AARON BUGHER FARQUHAR. 

Another of the representative farmers of 
Richland county is the subject of this sketch, 
who is the owner of a hue landed estate in 
sections 22 and 23, Denver township, and. is 
carrying on the various departments of his 
enterprise with that discretion and diligence 
that insures success. 

Aaron 11. Farquhar was 1x>rn in Fayette 
county, Pennsylvania, January 5, [841, the 
s. .n (if William and Sarah ( Moss) Farquhar. 



2 6 4 



IlIoCKAl'llK \I. AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



They were both natives of Washington coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania, and were married in Fa) 
ette county, that state, living on a farm 
there the remainder of their lives, the father 
dying January 26, [856, at the age of fiftj 
five years; his wife survived him many years, 
dying about 1898, at the advanced age of 

fhty-five and was buried in Red Stone 
cemetery, Fayette county, Pennsylvania, 
while the remains of her husband rest in the 
Quaker cemetery, near Fayette City, Penn- 
sylvania. They were the parents of six chil- 
dren, five of whom grew I 1 maturity, one 
dying in childhood, the subject of this sketch 
being the youngest in order of birth. 

Aaron 1!. Farquhar remained at home on 
tlie farm and attended the free schools there 
until about eighteen years of age, his father 
having died when he was about fifteen years 
cf age, he remained on the place with his 
mother for three years after his father's 
death. In [860 the subject came by rail to 
Illinois where he worked on a farm by the 
in mtli in Knox county, near Galesburg. lie 
liii Ivnox county in [861, returning to Penn 
sylvania and began the study of dentistry and 
began practicing the same in Knox county, 
Illinois, m [861, to which place he had re- 
turned from Pennsylvania, lie was very 
successful in his practice and he remained in 
Knox county until iN(>_>. In Maj of thai 
year he went to California, where he prac- 
ticed bis profession pari of the time, also 
did some gold mining while there. In Octo- 
ber, [863, he returned to his old home in 
Pennsylvania, where he remained that win- 
ter and on March -'4. [864, gave waj to his 



patriotic feeling and enlisted his sen jces , n 
defense of his c luntry, in Company II. Eight- 
eenth United States Infantry, under Cap 
tain .Mills, in which he served until < (ctober, 

[866, when he was transferred to Company 
( '. Second Battali 'ii. where he remained un- 
til he was mustered out of service, March 
24, [867, at Foil Philip Kearney. Dakota. 

I his was at the place of the Sioux Indian 
massacre, December 21, [866. Eighty-four 
men were sent out to protect a wood train 
from the Indians ami nol a man returned 
alive, all having been killed and scalped. 
by the Indians, and had it not been that the 
subject was on guard duty at that time he 
would have been with the unfortunate sol- 
diers that fell a prey to the Sioux. During 
the Civil war Mr. Farquhar served gallantly 
in the battles of Resaca, Buzzard's Roost, 
Missionar) Ridge. Kenesaw Mountain. 
Chickamauga and many others, comprising 
ten principal battles, from Missionary 
Ridge to Jonesboro, Georgia, lie returned 
to Lookoul Mountain and did picket duty 
during the winter of [864. In March. [865, 
he was detailed to Pittsburg. Pennsylvania, 
where he did recruiting service. lie was 
also at It. Wayne, Indiana, and Chicago, mi 
the s.une mission. In April, t866, he again 
joined the regiment and moved to the Da- 
kotas, where he remained until mustered out. 
lie returned to Pennsylvania where he re- 
mained cue year after he bad been mustered 
out. enjoying a rest after the many hard- 
ships 1 if an army career. 

Mr. Farquhar then came to Illinois, lii-t 
settling near Galesburg, where he had for- 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION* COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



265 



merly lived. He remained there for one year, 
then moved to Richland county and pur- 
chased the farm which he now owns in Den- 
ver township, consisting of two hundred and 
forty acres in this township and thirty-two 
acres just across the border in Noble town- 
ship. It was on February 14. 1S70, that the 
subject came to this county, paying as high 
as twenty-five dollars per acre for some of 
this land. He has an excellent farm which 
he has greatly improved and he has good 
buildings on it ; also keeps some good stock 
on the place. 

Mr. Farquhar was married January 18, 
1870, in Fayette City, Pennsylvania, to Ma- 
ria Eckard, who was born April 1, 1839. in 
Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, the 
daughter of Daniel and Elizabeth (Rhine- 
hardt ) Eckard, also natives of Pennsylvania, 
where they were married and where they 
lived all their lives, Air. Eckard dying in 
1876. and his wife in 1888. Both are buried 
in the Fayette City cemetery, Fayette county. 
Pennsylvania. They were the parents of 
eight children, all of whom grew to maturity, 
only three of them now living, Mrs. Far- 
quhar being the fourth in order of birth. She 
remained with her parents at home until her 
marriage to the subject. Mr. and Mrs. Far- 
quhar are the parents of four children, three 
of whom grew to maturity, one having died 
in childhood, namely : Frank D., who mar- 
ried Ida Cope, resides in Olney, Illinois. 
where he is interested in the marble works. 
One child born to them, died in in- 
fancy. Following are their children : tola, 
who at this writing. 1909, is eleven years 
old; .Mora, age eie;ht: Aaron, age seven; 



John, age six; Ersula, age four: Ira Ennis, 
age one. Ennis M.. the second child of the 
subject and wife, is single and is still a mem- 
ber of the home circle on the farm; Dessie 
B. is the wife of Walter Hall, residing on a 
farm in Denver township. Mrs. Farquhar 
has been an invalid for the past three years, 
totally helpless. 

Our subject has held the office of Town- 
ship Trustee for twenty-one years in a very 
acceptable manner in this township. He is a 
very staunch Republican, although he never 
aspires for any political office. He voted 
first for Abraham Lincoln for his second 
term. The subject and his wife have always 
been active in church work, always attending 
the Methodist church. giving assist- 
ance to its work, both morally and finan- 
cially, although neither of them are members. 
The subject has held the office of trustee of 
the church for twenty years or more. 

The subject has been very successful finan- 
cially and now owns one of the modern and 
valuable farms of Denver township, also a 
very desirable home. He is now sixty-eight 
years old and his wife is two years his senior. 
They live as nearly a retired life as a farm 
will permit and they are both held in high 
esteem bv their neighbors. 



WILLIAM WHAM. 



He of whom this sketch is written is a 
representative of one of the honored pioneer 
families of Marion county, Illinois, where 
he has passed practically his entire life, and 



21 ,. i 



BIOGRAPHK M. VND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



lie is one of the successful and prominent 
citizens of Cartter, where he is the leading 
merchant, being well known to the people of 
thai vicinity as a man of clean business prin- 
ciples and public-spirited, having attained 
prosperit) through his own well directed ef- 
forts. 

William Wham was born in this county 
in [853, the son of William Wham, a na- 
tive of Tennessee, who came to Illinois 
when a young boj and settled in Marion 
county where he developed a good farm and 
always made a comfortable living, lie was 
a charter member of the Masonic lodge, 
\"o. 130. at Salem, lie became well known 
and influential. He passed to his rest in 
[893. The mother of the subject was Lou- 
\niia Rainey, a native of Hopkinsville, 
Kentucky, who came to Illinois, when elev- 
en years old. She was a woman of many 
praiseworthy traits. She died some six 
years prior to her husband's demise. 

iit children were born to the parents 
the subject, four of whom are living in 
[908. They are named in order of their 
birth as follows: Margaret is the widow of 
lames Mount, of Kell. Illinois; Martha I.. 
living at Cartter, is the widow of William 
K. Storment; II. I'., owns a farm near tan 
ter, Illinois; William, our subject, who 
-pent his boyhood "ii a farm near Cartter, 
working during the summer months, and 
attendinj ountry schools the balance 

of the year. His earl) life was spent in 
farming, trading and dealing in stock, of 
which he made a success. After abandoning 
this he went into the mercantile business jn 



[895 at Cartter, Illinois, and has been thus 
engaged since that time, having built up an 
excellent trade by reason of his courteous 
treatment of customers and his natural abil- 
ity. His store is known throughout this 
locality as the place where the best goods in 
the market can be obtained at reasonable 
prices, and his trade- lias constantlj grown 
from year to year. Air. Wham has pros- 
pered by reason of his well directed energy, 
and he has become the owner of the Park 
Hotel at Salem, the leading hostelry of that 
city, and he is also a director of tin- Salem 
National Hank. He also has a large inter 
est in the Robinson oil fields in Crawford 
count)'. He was chairman of the building 
committee for the new building for the Sa 
lem National Bank, which was erected in 
[908. lie also has valuable farm lands. All 
this our subject has attained by reason of 
his own unaided efforts, and every dollar 
he possesses was obtained in an honest 111. 
iter. 

Mr. Wham was united in marriage in 
1S71 to Emma C. Vdams, the refined and 
accomplished daughter of James Vlams. of 
rear Salem. Her father is a well known 
farmer. (hie child, horn to the subject 
and wife, dud in infancy. Mrs. Wham is 
postmistress at Cartter, which position she 
has creditably tilled for the past fourteen 
years, having been appointed by Grover 
1 leveland and re-appointed by everj Pres 

ident since. She i< a woman of rare execu 
live ability as well as many pleasing traits 
which renders her popular with all classes. 
Mrs. W ham's mother. Mrs. Paulina Vlanis. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



21 >7 



is living at Springfield, Illinois. The father 
of the subject's wife is deceased. They 
were both natives of Virginia and scions of 
well known old southern families. Mr. 
Wham's grandfather was also named Wil- 
liam Wham. He was a native of Ireland, 
and a man of sterling qualities. 

Our subject is a member of the Masonic 
Blue Lodge. Chapter at Salem, and the 
Commandery at Centralia. He is also a 
member of the Independent Order of Odd 
Fellows. Mr. and Mrs. Wham are mem- 
bers of the Christian church at Cartter, be- 
ing liberal subscribers to the same. Mr. 
Wham was Chairman of the Board of Su- 
pervisors of Marion county, having been 
elected as an independent and was a good 
official, having ably disposed of the duties 
of this important trust in a manner that re- 
flected much credit upon his ability. 



GEN. JAMES STEWART MARTIN. 

It is a great badge of honor to have the 
distinction of serving the government in the 
conflict with Mexico, assisting in the ardu- 
ous campaigns until the stars and stripes 
were unfurled on the citadel of the Monte- 
zuma, and also, less than two decades later 
to have been permitted to serve the na- 
tional Union in the four years of polemic 
struggle between the states. Among the 
conspicuous figures of these great inter- 
necine conflicts is the well remembered gen- 
tleman whose name forms the caption of 



this biographical memoir, who, although 
his life history has been closed by death, 
his influence continues to pervade the lives 
of those with whom he came in contact. 
He was always mindful of his duty to his 
fellow men and ready with word or deed to 
assist them in the struggle up life's steep 
path. No man in his day and generation 
in this locality exercised a greater influence 
for the civic, material and moral uplift of 
the community than General Martin, for his 
life was that of the patriot, the Christian 
gentleman, the true American nobleman. 

( General James Stewart Martin was born 
August 19, 1826, in Estillville, now Gate 
City, Scott county, Virginia, the son of 
John S. and Malinda (Morrison) Martin, 
pioneers of that part of the Old Dominion 
state and a fine old Southern family of great 
influence in their day, his father having been 
a man of considerable political prominence 
and highly educated. He served as County 
Clerk, Circuit Clerk, and Master of Chan- 
cery for about twenty years. The mother 
of the subject, who was born in Sullivan 
county, Tennessee, was a woman of many 
commendable attributes, noted for her 
broad charity and high culture, and before 
she was called to her rest, in 1828, she 
emancipated her slaves. The subject's 
father moved to Illinois in 1844 and settled 
on a farm seven miles north of Salem, 
where his son, our subject, resided for a 
period of three years, assisting in develop- 
ing the farm from its primitive state into a 
highly productive place. 

James S. Martin, our subject, received his 



21 « 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCEN1 HISTORY OF 



education in the public schools of his native 
community in Virginia, making such notable 
progress and manifesting such a thirst for 
the higher learning that he was subsequently 

placed in Emery and Henry College, Wash- 
ington county, Virginia, where he made a 
brilliant record for scholarship. A lad of 
strong patriotism from his early youth 
which continued to increase with advancing 
years, lue was glad to have an opportunity 
to enter the army during the Mexican war, 
having enlisted in Company C, First Regi- 
ment, Illinois Volunteers, in the spring of 
1847, and he made such an excellent soldier 
that he was made third sergeant of his com- 
pany. The regiment was mustered into ser- 
vice at Alton, then transported to Fort 
Leavenworth and marched across the plains 
to Santa Fe, New Mexico. He performed 
conspicuous service during the strenuous 
campaign against the Mexicans. After the 
war, while on the homeward trip, his com- 
pany nominated him for County Clerk of 
Marion county, and the people here ratified 
their action upon the arrival of the men at 
Salem. He was duly elected and in a most 
able and creditable manner discharged the 
duties of the same for a period of twelve 
years. He was also Master in Chancery for 
two term>. in which he also showed his su- 
perior ability in official capacity. Being an 
ambitious man he sought every means pos- 
sible to improve himself and to he of the 
greatesl service to bis fellow men, conse- 
quently while holding these offices be de- 
voted his spare moments to the study of law. 
and upon admittance to the bar, July 4, 



1861. formed a partnership with B. F. 
Marshall and D. C. Jones and opened an of- 
fice in Salem. Owing to the great strength 
and prestige of this well known trio their 
legal business was heavy from the first and 
the reputation of the firm soon spread 
throughout tins part of the state. 

in 1862, when the clouds of rebellion 
were the darkest and the lambent flames of 
discontented citizenship of the South were 
the most direful, our subject realized that 
even- loyal son of the North should do what 
he could toward preserving the integrity of 
the Union, consequently he sought and ob- 
tained permission from Governor Yates to 
raise a regiment, with the result that the 
famous One Hundred and Eleventh was 
mustered, and Mr. Martin was selected as 
the man most worthy and able to command 
it, therefore he became colonel of the same. 
It was composed of seven companies from 
Marion county, one from ("lay and one from 
Clinton county, the regiment comprising 
tune hundred and thirty men and officers, 
and it was mustered into service September 
iS. iS(")_>. and joined General Davies at Co- 
lumbus, Kentucky. Our subject served in 
the capacity of colonel all through the war. 
his services showing that he was a man of 
much military courage ami genius, having 
from time to time led bis men into the brunt 
of the fighting. During 1863 he was in 
command of the post at Columbus and later 
at Paducah, Kentucky. From there he went 
to Florence, Alabama, whither he was or- 
dered by General Sherman, and he later 
went into winter quarters at Pulaski, Ten- 



RIl IIT.AND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



269 



nessee. From March 16, 1864, he served 
with the Sixteenth Army Corps, until the 
close of the struggle, having seen much 
hard service during that time, being with 
Sherman on his march to the sea and having 
led his regiment at the great battles of 
Resaca, Dallas, Kenesaw Mountain, Atlanta, 
Jonesboro, Fort McAllister and received 
the surrender of the commander of this fort. 
He was brevetted brigadier general in July, 
1864, and participated in the grand review 
in Washington City, and was mustered out 
in Springfield, Illinois, in June, 1865. 

After the war General Martin plunged 
into the active affairs of civil life and won 
signal distinction in the field of politics and 
business. He launched into banking in Sa- 
lem, building up the nucleus of a large for- 
tune through his wonderful executive abil- 
ity. Taking an interest in Republican poli- 
tics after the war he was elected County 
Judge in 1866, overwhelming a Democratic 
majority of six hundred. He was nominated 
for Congress in 1872 and was elected over 
Judge Silas L. Bryan, father of Hon. Wil- 
liam J. Bryan. He ably served one term 
in Washington. 

General Martin was appointed Commis- 
sioner of the Southern Illinois Penitentiary 
by Governor Cullom, September 4, 1879, 
which position he creditably served for four 
years. He served as a member of the Re- 
publican State Central Committee for a 
period of nearly twenty years, and was chair- 
man of the same during the canvass which 
elected Governor Fifer. He was a delegate 
to the National Convention in 1876, when 



he voted for the nomination of James G. 
Blaine for President. As might be expected 
he was an interested member of the Grand 
Army of the Republic and was honored in 
the same by being elected department com- 
mander of Illinois for two terms. He was 
largely instrumental in 1882 in organizing 
the Southern Illinois Soldiers and Sailors 
Reunion Association, of which he continu- 
ously served as commander. In all the offi- 
cial positions, General Martin conducted 
himself as a most able and worthy exponent 
of the country's good, and proved at all 
times to be an unselfish public servant of 
the most humanitarian and altruistic mo- 
tives and principles. 

The domestic life of our subject dates 
from 1852, when he was united in marriage 
with Jane Elston, of Salem, Illinois, to 
whom four children were born, three sur- 
viving. They are : Grace M., the wife of 
George O. Webster; Luther and John E. 
A complete history of the last child named 
is to be found on another page of this work. 
The subject's first wife passed to her rest 
in 1889, and in 1903 General Martin was 
married to Margaret Savage, of Ashland, 
Kentucky, who, with their daughter, Daisy, 
a cultured and refined lady, survive in 1908. 
Three brothers of the subject, Robert, Ben- 
jamin and Thomas, are also living in Salem. 

Thus after a most active, useful and ex- 
emplary life which the kind Heavenly 
Father greatly prolonged he passed to his 
rest, November 20, 1907. 

The city of Salem owes a great debt of 
gratitude to General Martin for he aided in 



270 



B RAPHICAL AND REMINISCEN1 HISTORY OF 



many ways in its upbuilding and general 
development as he did also Marion county, 
where he was Eor many decades held in the 
highest esteem by all classes, for he was 
universally regarded as a hero both in war 
and in peace, one of the component parts of 
the nation's substantial pillars, and the rev- 
erence with which the citizens of this lo- 
cality cherish his memory will serve as a 
greater monument than marble shaft or 
bronze obelisk. He was truly a brave and 
good man whose life was a continued sacri- 
fice for others, a benefactor in the true sense 
iif the term. His career was fraught with 
untold blessings to the world, and when in 
common with all things human his earthly 
course was ended and he was called to a 
higher plane of action, the memory of his 
mm] ile deeds and honorable achievements 
continued to constitute a record to which 
each passing year will give additional luster. 



r. D. TKLFORD. 



In such men as Mr. Telford there is pecu- 
liar satisfaction in offering their life his- 
tories justification for the compilation of 
works of this character — not that their lives 
have been such as to gain them particularly 
wide notoriety or the admiring plaudits of 
men. but that they have been true to the 
trusts reposed in them, have shown such 
attributes of character as entitle them to 
the regard of all. 

I I > I elford was bom in Marion county. 



Illinois. September 2, 1848. He is the 
son of Samuel ( \. Telford, a native of Jef- 
Eerson county. Illinois. Grandfather James 
Tel ford, a native of South Carolina, came 
to Jefferson county as early as 1822, and 
moved to this county in 1836, when the 
father of the subject was nine years old, and 
like most of the sturdy pioneers of that early 
time, was compelled to undergo many pri- 
vations and do much hard work in estab- 
lishing a home, but being a man of sterling 
qualities and indomitable energy he con- 
quered the many obstacles that confronted 
him and led a useful and influential life as 
a fanner there, as did also his son, father of 
our subject, who seemed to inherit much of 
the older Telford's better traits, and. indeed, 
the family characteristics have come on 
down to our subject, who is carefully order- 
ing his life so as to carry out the early 
praiseworthy characteristics of his ances- 
tors. Samuel ('.. Telford spent his life on 
the farm, having lived on the same farm for 
sixty years. This was taken out of the new 
prairie land, but the wild soil was soon 
transformed into highly productive fields. 
He was a soldier in the Union army, having 
enlisted in the One Hundred and Thirty- 
sixth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and ren- 
dered gallant service until the winter of 
[864. He is still living in 1908 near Cartter, 
Marion county. The mother of the subject 
was called to her rest in 1882. Her maiden 
name was Mary Baldridge. She was a na- 
tive of Illinois, but her people came from 
North Carolina. 

lames '['elford was an Abolitionist and 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



2-1 



Avas an historic character in his day, having 
played an important part in the famous un- 
derground railway when Illinois was ad- 
mitted as a free state in 1818. He came to 
this state because he was opposed to slavery. 
His wife's maiden name was Kell. and she 
was also a native of South Carolina. They 
were the parents of eight children, five of 
whom are living at this writing, the father 
of the subject being the only one of the boys 
living. 

Samuel G. Telford and wife were the 
parents of nine children, named in the order 
of their birth as follows: J. D., subject of 
this sketch : Joseph, of Alma township, 
Marion county; Margaret J., deceased; Eva, 
who is married and living in Ashville, 
North Carolina; Alice, the wife of William 
Wyatt, of Durant, Oklahoma ; Kate, wife of 
Doctor Richardson, of Union City, Okla- 
homa; George B., who is living in Kansas; 
Arthur, a farmer of Marion county ; Belle, 
who became Mrs. Arnold, is deceased. 

J. D. Telford, our subject, lived with his 
father until he was twenty-three years old, 
assisting with the work on the old home- 
stead and attending the country schools 
during the winter months. Having applied 
himself well to his text-books he became 
fairly well educated, and later has added to 
this by home reading and coming in contact 
with the world. The happy and harmonious 
domestic life of the subject dates from 
January 19. 1872, when he was united in 
marriage to Sarah A. Wyatt. the estimable 
daughter of John and Margaret Wyatt. a 
highly respected family of Marion countv. 



natives of Tennessee, who came to Marion 
county in i860. 

The following children have been born to 
the subject and wife, all of whom are well 
established in life and give promise of suc- 
cessful futures: Dr. A. T., who lives at 
Olney, Illinois; E. D., is an attorney at 
Salem, this county ; Ula, is a stenographer 
in the Life Savings Station at Chicago; 
Omer F. is a fanner in Marion county ; 
Oran is a member of the family circle at 
their home in Salem, as is also J. D., Jr. 
The Telford residence is modern and always 
cheerful. 

The subject is engaged in farming and 
real estate, largely interested in fruit grow- 
ing, at which he is highly competent, having 
long taken an abiding interest in horticul- 
ture. He has two large orchards containing 
six thousand and five hundred apple trees 
of excellent variety and quality. He de- 
votes much of his time to the care of his 
orchards, which are among the most valu- 
able in this part of the state, and useless to 
add that the financial returns from the sale 
of his fruit are usually quite satisfactory. 
Politically Mr. Telford is a stanch Repub- 
lican and having been actuated by a laudable 
desire for political preferment, his friends 
elected him to the important office of Sher- 
iff of Marion county, the duties of which he 
faithfully performed to the satisfaction of 
all concerned for a period of four years, 
having been elected in 1882 and serving 
until 1886. He is well grounded in his po- 
litical convictions, and always lends his 
aid in supporting his party's principles, en- 



■;UMIU "\l VM< Kl ; MI\NI'\r 1 1 1 > U ■ K \ <M 



place the best men possible in 

. well informed man, 

nly mi political matters and current 

events, but he is well read on scientific, liter- 

which make his 
- well as instruo- 
nerally regarded as one of 
Marion count} 



\IAMIX F. RODGERS, M D. 

In giving the life record of the subjo 
this sketch the publishers of this work be- 
lieve that it will be an incentive to the 
young who may peruse it to lead nobler 
lives, have higher ambitions and accomplish 
more for their fellow men. for his life has 
always been led along a plane of high en- 
deavor, alw - sistent with the truth in 
igher forms and ever in keeping with 
honorable principles. He is the scion of 
pioneer ana the most sterling qual- 

ities who did much in their day for the com- 
munities in which they lived, and Doctor 
Rodgers is a worthy descendant of his for- 
- hus for many reasons, not the least of 
which is the fact that lie was one of the 
the V .rih. who. when the 

sin of war sounded, left his hearthstone 

and bus do what he could in saving 

the country from treason, the biographer is 

e him jus -entation in this 

■ k. 

Dr. Benjamin F. - born 

in York, Pennsylvania, in 1820. the 



. i'ii 1 ) and \l.u > 1 1 [amilton 1 Rodgers. 

md father Rodgers, who came to America 
in 1776, settling in Maryland, was a weavei 
by profession and a soldier in the Revolu- 
tionary war. lie lived to be ninety-foui 
years old, and the grandmother ^<i the sub- 
ject lived to her ninety-sixth year. l'he\ 
were the parents "i a large family. 

The father of the subject, who was born 
in Maryland, moved to Pennsylvania when 
a boy. later to Ohio, where lie spent the bal- 
ance of his days on a farm. There were 

en children in this family, >i\ -if whom 

lived to maturity. The subject's parents 

were Presbyterians and the father and moth- 
er both died at the age oi sixty-four years. 

The subject of this sketch was nine 3 1 
old when he moved to Ohio, where he re 
ceived a fairly good education by attending 
the subscription schools of his community. 
He clerked in a store in Ohio for two years, 
then learned to be a shoemaker: but neither 
oi these lines seemed to suit his tastes, be- 
lieving that he was capable oi rendering 
better service to humanity, consequently he 
.11 the study of medicine, in which he 
made rapid progress and he soon entered a 
medical college After completing the pre- 
scribed course with honor, he began pi 
tice in Ohio, and later located at Elizabeth- 
town. Kentucky, having soon gained a firm 
foothold. Rut believing that better oppor- 
tunities awaited him at Belleville. Illinois, he 
removed thereto in 1840. and afterwards 
removed to Jacksonville, and at that p': 
the doctor enlisted in September. 1801. in 
the Union, enlisted in September. [86l, in 




I D. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



2/3 



the Second Illinois Light Artillery, and so 
efficient were his services that he was com- 
missioned captain of Company K. His rec- 
ord in the army is a most creditable one. He 
was at the battle of Fort Donelson, at Jack- 
son, Mississippi, and was in the siege of 
Vicksburg. Engraved on a monument erect- 
ed at Vicksburg, Mississippi, in honor of 
Company K, Second Illinois Light Artillery, 
are the words : 

"Battery K, Second Light Artillery, 

Capt. Benjamin Rodgers, 
"Fourth Division Sixteenth Corps. 
"Entered Campaign About May 20, 
1863. Served with the Division Dur- 



He takes great pride in his military life 
and relates his battery was nearer the en- 
emy's works than any other battery of the 
siege, which occupied forty-two days. He 
was Chief of Artillery on the staff of Gen- 
eral Lauman, Gen. Crocker Gresham, 
Logan, and was Chief of Staff of General 
Ranson at Natchez. 

He was also in the southwestern cam- 
paign and the battles subsequent to that. He 
was mustered out at Memphis, Tennessee, 
December 31, 1864. After the close of the 
war Doctor Rodgers located in Patoka, 
where he has practiced his profession ever 
since. 

Doctor Rodgers was united in marriage 

<>n Xovember 3, 1848, with Mary K. Chiell, 

daughter of Casper Chiell. He has four 

children living, also fourteen grandchildren, 

18 



and seven great-grandchildren. Mrs. Rod- 
gers was called from her earthly labors at 
the age of seventy-two years. 

In politics our subject is a loyal Repub- 
lican, and he has ever taken a great interest 
in public affairs, having made his influence 
felt for the good of his community in many 
ways and served in a most able manner as 
postmaster and also Mayor of Patoka; in 
fact, he might be called the father of this 
town. He is a member of the Grand Army 
of the Republic, and has been commander of 
the local post. In his fraternal relations he 
is a member of the Masonic fraternity, the 
lodge at Jacksonville, Illinois. No man in 
this part of Marion county is better or more 
favorably known than he, known for his 
professional skill, his public spirit, his integ- 
rity and kind heartedness. 



ADAM H. BACHMANN. 

The L'nited States can boast of no better 
or more law-abiding class of citizens than 
the great number of German people who 
have found homes within her borders. 
Though holding dear and sacred the beloved 
mother country, they are none the less de- 
voted to the fair country of their adoption. 
Anmng this class is the subject of this 
sketch, who for a number of years has been 
one of the foremost citizens of Marion 
county, Illinois, where he has labored not 
only for his own advancement, but also for 
the srood of the community, his efforts hav- 



-74 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCEN1 HlMom OB 



ing been amply repaid with abundant finan- 
cial success and the esteem of his fellow 
men. 

\ 1 1 : m 1 II. Bachmann, the well known and 
popular president of the Salem National 
Bank, was born in Saxony, Germany, No- 
vember 28, [845, the son of George Bach 
matin, a man of sterling qualities, who was 
also a native of Germany, and who died 
there in [860. The mother of the subject 
was known in her maidenhood as Mocklin 
Sputh, also of the Fatherland, who was 
called tn her resl in t866. Of the six chil- 
dren born to the elder Bachmann, there are 
living the folic .winy in mjoN: Mrs. Lizzie 
Sputh and Ernest Bachmann, both of Ger- 
many, and the subject of this sketch. These 
children received every care and attention 
possible by their parents who were people oi 
industry and uprightness. 

\dam ll. Bachmann left Germany in 
March. [866, landing in America the fol- 
lowing April, having barely attained his ma- 
jority, lie hail received eight years of 
schooling in his native land, receiving a 
fairly -null education fur he was an am- 
bitious lad and diligently applied himself to 
his school-books and this careful founda- 
tion has since been greatly strengthened and 
built ii]) through his contact with the world 
and his habits of home reading, so that Mr. 
Bachmann's conversation is at once learned, 
interesting and instructive. Our subjeel lo- 
at Lebanon, Illinois, shortl) after 
coming to the New World, where he 
worked as a cabinet maker. In the spring 
■if [868, he came to Salem, this state, and 



engaged in the furniture business with 
which he has since been identified, and 
which was a successful venture from the 
first and by reason of the subject's careful 
attention to duty, his natural ability as a far- 
sighted and cautious business man. coupled 
with his kind and courteous treatment of 
customers, his trade has gradually grown 
all these years, his place of business being 
generally known as one of the safest, most 
reliable as well as up-to-date furniture estab 
lishments in this locality. After building the 
business up to its present high state of effi- 
ciency, Mr. Bachmann turned it over t" his 
two si ms, Frank and Charley. Ixith very able 
and progressive young men. who are con- 
ducting a modern and well Stocked store. 
being numbered among the leading young 
business men of the county, to whom the fu- 
ture holds unbounded success and honor, 
since the} are m it only young men of sound 
business principles, but also nf the finest 
personal traits. 

Mr. Bachmann was united in marriage 
November 15, 1868, to Mary Alkire, the 
representative of a highly respected and influ- 
ential family of 1. chain m. Illinois, who was 
burn in Pennsylvania. Eleven children have 
been born to the subject and wife, seven of 
whom are living at the tune of this writing, 
[908, named in order of their birth, as fol- 
li i\\ s : Mrs. 1 .iz/ie k< ilb, 1 if I .chain m. Illitn lis : 
Frank, of Salem, this county; Mrs. Amy 
Stonecipher, also of Salem ; Maud, living at 
home; Charley, Adam 11.. Jr., and Paulina, 
all live with their parents in Salem. 

Mr. Bachmann deserves much credit for 



KICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



2/5 



the well defined success he has attained since 
casting - his lot among Americans, partly be- 
cause he has been the architect of his own 
fortunes, beginning his business career ab- 
solutely empty-handed, and with no one to 
encourage or assist in any way, and partly 
because he has made his competency by hon- 
est, straight-forward business methods that 
no one can question. When he first landed 
on our shores he had a capital of only three 
cents and today he is the wealthiest man in 
Marion county. He had the insight, the 
rare sagacity and perceptive instinct to 
grasp situations as they arose and the splen- 
did business acumen to turn seeming ob- 
stacles into ultimate sucess. Such men are 
born leaders in the financial world and they 
are not any too frequently met with. 

Mr. Bachmann is president of the Salem 
National Bank, president of the Farmers' 
and Merchants' Bank at St. Peter. Illinois; 
besides being an extensive land owner, hav- 
ing nine large farms in Marion county. 
They are all very valuable, well drained, se- 
curely fenced, the soil being highly produc- 
tive and the buildings on each modern and 
convenient. Besides these he has much other 
real estate. Also owns about as much prop- 
erty in East St. Louis as he has here. Mr. 
Bachmann has large property interests at 
Mattoon and Oakland, this state. His large 
real estate holdings and financial loans oc- 
cupy the major part of his time and atten- 
tion, however, he finds time to assist in for- 
warding any movement for the betterment 
of his community. In fact, he is a pioneer 
in the development and progress of Marion 



county. He came to Salem, when there was 
only one brick house here, but he had the 
sagacity to note the possibilities in the place 
and soon decided to cast his lot here with 
the result that he has benefited not only 
himself, but also the entire community, 
more, perhaps, than any other man has done 
or is likely to do in the years to come. In 
other words, the wonderful things that the 
future held seemed to be within Mr. Bach- 
mann's horoscope, and he began on the 
ground floor, developing with the country, 
which is wonderfully rich in resources and 
possibilities. While Mr. Bachmann has 
been too busy to devote much time to polit- 
ical matters, never having entertained an 
ambition for political preferment, he has 
ever assisted in any way he could the de- 
velopment of the community whether polit- 
ical, educational, moral or civic, and he did 
much in making the 1 city a clean and de- 
sirable place in which to live, principally 
while ably serving it as Alderman. In his 
fraternal relations our subject is a Mason. 

The Bachmann residence, which is one of 
the finest, most modern, substantial and 
beautiful in Salem, is elegantly furnished 
and a place where the many friends and ad- 
mirers of this popular family delight to 
gather, being presided over with rare grace 
and dignity by the subject's wife who is a 
charming hostess, congenial and talented. 

Mr. Bachmann is a pleasant man to meet. 
jovial, and at all times agreeable, never 
pompous or phlegmatic. His is a well 
rounded character, in which the different in- 
terests nf life are given their due proportion 



276 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISI ENT HISTORY OF 



ol attention. One line of thought or work 
to the exclusion of all others produci 
abnormal development and makes the in- 
dividual narrow in his views of life. Mr. 
Bachmann has never followed such a course 
for while giving his chief attention to his 
business, .1- do the majority of men, he 
finds time and opportunity to take an in- 
terest in matters pertaining to the progress 
and growth of his county, state and nation, 
.md to mingle with his. friends, enlarging 
the circle of his acquaintance and broaden 
ing his mind through the interchange of 
thi ught with others. 



E. LOUIS BLEDSOE. 

The names of those men who have dis- 
tinguished themselves through the posses- 
sion of those qualities which daily contrib- 
ute to the success of private life and to the 
public stability and who have enjoyed the 
respect and confidence of those about them. 
should not be permitted to perish. Such a 
one is the subject of this review, one of the 
leading lumber dealers in Marion county. 

E. I.. Bledsoe, president of the Bledsoe 
Lumber Company, of Salem, was born in 
Bradford. Indiana, in 1858. His father was 
William J. Bledsoe, a native of Tennessee, 
who came to Indiana when a young man. 
lb- was a United Brethren minister. Wil- 
liam J. Bledsoe was a soldier in the Union 
army during the Civil war. having been a 
member of the Thirty-seventh Iowa Volun- 



teer Infantry, lie died in a hospital in St. 
Louis, Missouri, from illness contracted 
while in line ><( duty. Two sons, William 
J., Jr., and James W., were also in the army, 
having enlisted in Company 11. Twenty- 
fifth Iowa Volunteer Infantry. They 
Fought side by side in twenty-seven battles. 
Both re-enlisted after their time was up and 
served until the close of the war. James 
W. was wounded twice. Both' were with 
Sherman on his famous march to the sea. 
They are both living. The father died May 
5, 1867. 

The mother of the subject was Martha 
Ridgeway, a native of Chillicothe, Ohio, 
who married the subject's father in Franks- 
ville, Indiana. She was a woman of many 
fine traits and was called to her rest in 1883 
while living at Rock Island. Illinois. The 
Following children were bom. to this union: 
James W., of Rock Island; William J. Jr., 
also of Rock Island ; George B. died at Rock 
Island in 1906: J. P., of Davenport, Iowa: 
E. L., our subject; Frank A., of Rock Is- 
land; Mark S., of St. Louis; Mattie J., who 
is a physician located at Chickasha, Okla- 
homa. Our subject was taken to Iowa by 
his parents when about three years old. The 
family located at Washington, but most of 
the subject's boyhood was spent in Mar- 
shall. He received only a common school 
education, his course of study being inter- 
rupted by reason of the fact that his father 
frequently moved from town to town in car- 
rying on his ministerial work, but he is a 
well educated man. nevertheless, having 
gained it first handed from the world. 



RICHLAND. CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



277 



Mr. Bledsoe has been twice married, first 
in 1876 to Minnie Dizotell, of Eldon, Iowa, 
the ceremony having been performed in that 
city. She was born in Canada. Her father 
was of French lineage and her mother was 
Irish. After bearing the subject one child, 
she was called to her rest in 1901 at St. 
Louis, Missouri. The child born to this 
union is Truman C. Bledsoe, manager of 
the Bledsoe-McCreery Lumber Company, 
of St. Louis. He married Stella Farrell. of 
that city, and they are the parents of two 
children, Barbara Louis, and Truman C, 
Jr. The subject was married in 1903, his 
second wife being Lillie Mattox, of Terre 
Haute, Indiana. One son has blessed this 
union, Maurice William, who was born on 
September 2. 1904. 

The following history of Mr. Bledsoe's 
railroad career, which forms the lengthiest 
and one of the most important chapters in 
his life history, is based on a sketch which 
the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway 
system issued in book form, containing a 
history of the road's representative em- 
ployes, which article shows the high regard 
tli is company had for Mr. Bledsoe. 

When only a lad of fifteen our subject 
began working as a water boy for Howell's 
corps of engineers in 1870. A survey was 
then being made from Washington, Iowa, 
to Princeton. Missouri, the line being an ex- 
tension of the Chicago and Southwestern 
Railway, which was later absorbed by the 
"Rock Island System." The lad was famil- 
iarly known as "Squire." which soubriquet 
has clung to him through life. He worked 



his way to more important positions in this 
corps, having remained with them until the 
survey was completed and the corps was 
disbanded at Princeton. Our subject then 
returned to Eldon, Iowa, to which point his 
mother had moved during his absence. In 
the fall of 1872 he determined to become a 
brakeman, to which idea his mother strong- 
ly protested, arguing that such a life was 
too hazardous for her son to undertake, but 
the son began his career as head brakeman 
on a very- cold night the following winter, 
his duties being partly to watch for dangers 
ahead and to watch the lights on the ca- 
boose. The rear cars had broken loose on 
this particular occasion and were running 
down grade as if about to crash into the 
section of the train ahead. There were no 
air brakes on freight trains at that time, 
and the old square draw bar was danger- 
ous and hard to handle. It was up grade 
and down grade from Eldon to Washing- 
ton, but the boy stuck faithfully at his post 
and all came out well, and from that nig lit 
of somewhat exciting initiation to the last 
one on which he pulled the brakes, he proved 
loyal to his trust, having laid off only about 
ten days during his entire service. Mr. 
Bledsoe was a mi idel y iung man and soon 
all who formed his acquaintance learned to 
admire him. and up to this writing, 1908, 
in it a drop of intoxicating liquor has ever 
touched his lips or a profane word ever 
passed them, and up to the time of the death 
of his first wife he had never used tobacco, 
but ^ince that time he has been accustomed 
to smoke, bavins' been greatlv shocked at 



278 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND KKM IXISl l-.NT HISTORY OF 



her demise from which he has never fully 
regained his Former vivacity. His word 
lias always been as good .is his note and he 
has been all his life an exemplary character, 
which is the resull of careful teachings by 
a Christian mother. He has always been a 
modest and retiring man. unassuming and 
never in the least pompous or found seek- 
ing notoriety, according to the friends who 
knew him best, lie has always been cool 
and calculating and tins fact has doubtless 
saved him accidents while in the railway 
service, however, death stared him in the 
face twice during his sendee on the road; 
once when he was assisting the fireman in 
taking coal at Perlee, Eowa, he was caught 
between the cob and the apron of the schute, 
hut the engineer, Frank Hudler, prevented 
the accident. \i Washington, fowa, while 
making a coupling Ik- was pressed into a 
very close place by the giving way of a draw 
bar, hut the rear car received the impact and 
rebounded away preventing an accident. In 
■ hie time Mr. Bledsoe was promoted for his 
faithful service and wore the badge of con 
ductor. When he resigned it was after nine 
years of freight runs on the first fowa di 
vision of the southwestern branch of the 
Rock Island System, his resignation taking 
place in r88i, which was tendered for the 
purpose of retiring permanently from rail- 
road life, hut he was induced t" accept a po- 
sition on the St. Louis division of the Chi- 
cago, Burlington X- Quincy Railroad, with 
which he remained for tin. id then 

li cept a position .1- slei pingcar 
conductor for the Pullman Pa' Com- 



pany. He remained with that company for 
four years, during the latter part of which 
he was inspector of all the company's cars 
entering St. Louis. He had the distinction 
of placing in the union station at St. Louis 
the first Pullman vestibuled train, it being 
under his personal inspection. He subse- 
quently resigned this position to accept an 
offer from the lluttig Sash & Door Com 
pany, of St. Louis, and in [900 he was trav- 
eling representative of this firm in southern 
Illinois. lie remained with this firm for 
eighteen years, during which time he ren- 
dered them services of the most efficient type 
and was the cause of their business rapidly 
increasing. And during his long services 
with the above mentioned companies he was 
held in the highest esteem by his employers 
who placed in him implicit confidence and 
had unqualified faith in his ability and in- 
tegrity. 

Mr. Bledsoe came to Salem, this county, 
in 1904 and organized lumber companies 
here and at Sparta. Illinois, known as the 
Bledsoe Company, retail yards, wholesale: 
the Bledsoe-McCreery Lumber Company, 
being interested in all of them, and by reason 
1 if Ins knowledge of this line of business and 
his reputation for square dealing, coupled 
with his courteous manners, he has built up a 
very extensive business throughout this local- 
ity which is constantly growing. In his fra- 
ternal relations our subject is a member of 
the Knights of Pythias. 1 le also belongs to 
a lumber dealers' association, the Con- 
catentated Order of Hoo-Iloo. and both 
Mr. and Mrs. Bledsoe are members of the 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



279 



Christian church, and they are among the 

popular and highly respected residents of 
Salem. 



SILAS CLOUD. 

Among the venerable and highly re- 
spected citizens of Denver township, Rich- 
land count}', Illinois, who deserve special 
mention in a work of this character, is Silas 
Cloud, for his life has been one of consecu- 
tive and honest endeavor, resulting in good 
both to himself and family and those of his 
community, which he has seen develop 
through all its stages. 

Silas Cloud was born in Clinton county, 
Ohio, January 7, 1833. the son of Henry 
and Anna ( Laymon) Cloud, the former a 
native of Ohio and the latter of North Car- 
olina. They were married in Ohio, settling 
on a farm in Clinton county soon after- 
ward, where the) - remained until the death 
of the subject's father, which occurred in 
1835, when Silas was two years old. Henry 
Cloud was not fifty years old when he died. 
He is buried in the old Masonic cemetery 
at Lynchburg, Ohio. His widow remained 
on the farm in Clinton county until about 
1850. The subject was then seventeen 
years of age. Mrs. Henry Cloud was re- 
married, her second husband being Chris- 
tian M. Foster, who was also a native of 
North Carolina. They both remained in 
( linton county the remainder of their lives. 
the subject's mother dying first in [880, 
when nearly seventy years of age. She is 



buried in the same cemetery with her first 
husband. Her second husband survived 
her about three years. No children were 
born to them. The subject's father and 
mother were the parents of seven children, 
all boys but one, all of whom grew to ma- 
turity, Silas being the sixth child in order of 
birth. 

Silas Cloud's early education was ob- 
tained in the common schools of Clinton 
county, Ohio, having first attended a select 
school and later a free school in the days 
when pupils sat on rude benches, which 
were usually too high for the feet to touch 
the floor. He did not get much education 
until after he became of age. then he fitted 
himself for a teacher which profession he 
followed with much success for a period of 
twenty-eight years. The subject remained 
at home with his mother until his marriage 
on October 26, i860, to Mary E. Montgom- 
ery in Clinton county, Ohio, in which place 
she was born. November 11, 1839. the 
daughter of William and Mary Ann ( Ex- 
tel) Montgomery, both natives of New Jer- 
sey, the father of Irish descent. Mrs. 
Cloud's parents were married in New Jer- 
and mined to Ohio, buying a farm in Clin- 
ton count)', upon which they lived the re- 
mainder of their lives. Mr. Montgomery 
dying in 1867, at the age of seventy years, 
and Mrs. Montgomery survived until 1884, 
dying at the age of eighty-one years. Both 
are buried in the Masonic cemetery at 
Lynchburg. Ohio. Thev were the parents 
of twelve children, ten of whom grew to 
maturity, two having died in infancy, the 



280 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY 01 



subject's wife was the eighth child in order 
of birth. Mrs. Cloud attended the common 
schools in Ohio. When she and the subject 

were married they rented a farm in Clinton 
county, Ohio, where they lived a few years, 
the subject farming during- the summer 
months ami leaching school in the winter. 
In September, [863, they moved to Illinois. 
settling in Richland county, where they 
bought a sixty acre farm of unimproved 
land in Denver township, forty acres being 
on the prairie and twenty acres in timber. 
lie at once erected a log house and other 
similar buildings, making rapid and exten- 
sive improvements and later buying an ad- 
joining farm of forty acres. They finally 
owned a substantial frame dwelling. Mr. 
Cloud taught school during the winter 
months in Richland county. In [873 they 
-old their principal farm ami moved to the 
eighty acres upon which they have since re- 
sided. It is now well improved and nearly 
all under cultivation. Mr. (loud at one 
time owned one hundred acre- of good land 
in Denver township, but he has since -old 
twenty acres of timber land, now owning 
eighty acres of improved land. lie has 
never lived out of Denver township since 
coming to Richland county in [863. Al- 
though both Mr. and Mr-. Cloud have seen 
may year- of hardship .and privation during 
their lives, their old age 1- comfortable and 
happy. They have always worked hard 
and have been successful. Mr. Cloud's 
record a- a farmer i- worthy of praise, hut 
that of school teacher i- especially worthy 
of commendation, for it covers a long 



Stretch of time, twenty-eight years in Ohio 
and Illinois, and twenty-six years without 
missing a year. After he had taught two 
years he attended college in Lebanon, Ohio, 
for two year-. He intended teaching for 
thirty years, hut thought it advisable to give 
it up on account of trouble with hi- eyes. 
lie wiin a wide reputation as an able edu- 
cator and his services were in great demand. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Cloud six children haw 
been horn, three of whom grew to maturity, 
only two of them now living. They are: 
Ida. deceased: John L., living: William 
Henry, deceased: Thomas W.. deceased: 
Albert, deceased: Wylie I... living. John is 
single and is living at home with his par- 
ent-. Wylie. who is also single, is engaged 
in the laundry business in Chicago where he 
has lived for eight years. 

In hi- fraternal relations Mr. Cloud be- 
longs to the Lynchburg lodge. No. 151. In- 
dependent Order of Odd Fellows, at Lynch- 
burg, Ohio, where he joined in [855, in 
which order he ha- passed through all the 
chairs in the subordinate lodge. He has 
also been a member of various other secret 
orders, such as the Illinois Grange, and the 
Farmers' Mutual Benefit Association. In 
politic- he 1- a Republican, and mice ran for 
the office of County Treasurer on the Farm- 
ers' Mutual Benefit Association ticket in his 
county, lie ha- been treasurer of the Com- 
mission of Highways for sixteen years in 
Denver township, which position he has 
very faithfully tilled, lie now holds the 
office "f School Trustee, and lie ha- heen 
president of the School Board for nearly 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



28l 



thirty years. Mr. and Airs. Cloud are 
members of the Methodist church at Marion 
chapel in Denver township. Mr. Cloud has 
been active in church work and in the duties 
of the same for many years, having been a 
member of the church for thirty years. He 
has been steward and recording steward for 
twenty-five years, having never missed but 
■one meeting during that time. He has been 
superintendent of the Sunday school for the 
past fifteen years. He is now one of the 
trustees of Marion chapel, also trustee of 
the parsonage of the circuit. Mr. Cloud has 
now reached the age of seventy-six years, 
ad he has always been blessed with good 
health, now being hale and hearty for one 
of his age. His good life companion is now 
sixty-nine years old and she has not enjoyed 
her usual splendid health for the past few 
years. They are a fine old couple and ad- 
mired by all Denver township and sur- 
rounding country for their lives of whole- 
some influence and their kindness of heart, 
and for the great good they have accom- 
plished in material, educational and re- 
ligi ius work. 



JOHX W. LARIMER. 

The gentleman whose name forms the 
caption of this biographical review is now 
recognized as one of the leading organizers, 
promoters and all around business men and 
representative citizens of Marion county. 
Illinois, where he was born in what is now 



Stevenson township. May 14, 1852. John 
\V. Larimer's father was Smith Larimer, 
a native of Ohio who came to Marion 
county, this state, about 1846. He devoted 
his life very largely to agricultural pur- 
suits. He was elected Treasurer and As- 
sessor of Marion county, serving twelve 
years with great satisfaction to his constitu- 
ents. He moved to Salem in 1858. He was 
a loyal Democrat and was elected to office 
on this ticket. The offices of Treasurer and 
Assessor were conducted as one at that 
time. Smith Larimer died in Salem in 1887, 
at the age of seventy-six years, after a use- 
ful and very active life. Robert Larimer, 
grandfather of the subject, was a native of 
Ireland who emigrated to America when a 
boy, devoting his life to the farm. He lived 
to be an old man. 

The mother of the subject was known in 
maidenhood as Sarah Brown, a native of 
Ohio, who traced her lineage to Scotland. 
She was a woman of fine traits of char- 
acter and she passed to her rest in 1861, 
when the subject of this sketch was nine 
years old. Mr. and Mrs. Smith Larimer 
were the parents of eight children, six of 
whom are living, namely: Andrew Jack- 
son, who was first lieutenant of Company H, 
One Hundred and Eleventh Illinois Volun- 
teer Infantry, which was mustered largely 
in Marion county, and this brave young- 
officer met his death in the great battle of 
Atlanta, July 22, 1864; Wilson S. was a 
member of the same company, having gone 
through the war, dying in the spring of 
1888: Mrs. Sarah M. Hite. of St. Louis; 



282 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMIMSCKNT IIJSToKV ol- 



Mrs. Nancy J. Moore, of Salem, Illinois; 
\\ . !•'.. of Denver, Colorado; John \\ .. our 
subject; Ann E. lrvin. also living in Den- 
ver; and Mrs. Kagy, wife of L. M. Kagy, 
president of the Salem State Bank. 

John \Y. Larimer, our subject, was born 
on the farm, and when six years old moved 
with his parents to Salem where he attended 
school and when fourteen years old went 
into the court house with J. ( ). Chance, who 
was engaged in the abstract business and 
who afterward became Clerk of the Supreme 
Court of Illinois. Our subject began learn- 
ing the abstract business at this early age, 
and in 1870 he was appointed Deputy 
County Clerk for one year under J. O. 
Chance, who was then Clerk. Shortly af- 
terward Mr. Chance and Mr. Larimer 
formed a partnership in the abstract and 
real estate business, which partnership con- 
tinued for about four years, when Mr. 
Chance was elected Clerk of the Supreme 
Court, then Mr. Larimer continued the busi- 
ness himself up to the present time, becom- 
ing known as one of the ablest, most ac- 
curate and reliable abstracters in this part 
of the state and his office is always a busj 
place. 

( hir subject was married May 6, [871, to 
Rosa Andrews, daughter of Seth S. An- 
drews, now deceased, formerly a representa- 
tive citizen of Salem. Three bright and in- 
teresting children have been bom to the sub- 
ject and wife a- follows: Dwight \\\. who 
is associated with his father in the abstract 
business; Sarah Louise and Kathryn. 

Mr. Larimer has ever taken an active part 



in politics and as a result of his innate 
ability and his loyalty to his party's prin- 
ciples he has been chosen to positions of 
public trust by his fellow voters, having 
been elected Town Clerk in 1877. He has 
also been City Clerk, and he represented 
the old third ward as Alderman, also was 
honored by one term as Mayor, lie served 
as a member of the Board of Education for 
four years, and in 1896 he was a member of 
the State Board of Equalization, serving 
four years. This was an elective office and 
Mr. Larimer carried Marion county by over 
one thousand votes, which speaks for his 
popularity in his home county. He received 
ten more votes than William J. Bryan. He 
was Secretary and a member of the Board of 
Directors of the Salem Building and Loan 
Association, having organized this associa- 
tion of which he has been secretary for 
twenty-five years in 1908, or ever since its 
organization. Our subject is also president 
of the Business Men's Association, and 
president of the Marion County Agricul- 
tural Board. Tims we see that our subject 
has the- confidence and good will of the pub- 
lic who have entrusted him with these vari- 
ous positions of honor and trust, and that 
he has conscientiously and ably discharged 
his duties at all times goes without saying, 
in fact, no man in the county is more popu- 
lar than Mr. Larimer, who is regarded as 
one of the county's most valuable men and 
one 1 if its f( iremost citizens. 

His business interests have been varied: 
be is one of the stockholders in the Salem 
State Bank. I te is a prominent Mason, hav- 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



283 



ing been through all the offices in both the 
lodge and the chapter, being a Thirty-second 
degree member. He is also a member of the 
Knights Templar. Both Mr. and Mrs. 
Larimer are members of the Presbyterian 
church. They reside at Walnut and Church 
streets in a beautiful modern home which 
they own. 



EDWARD RICHARDSOX. 

Individual enterprise which is so justly 
the boast of the American people is strikingly 
exhibited in the career of the gentleman 
whose name forms the caption of this sketch. 
While transmitting to posterity the record of 
such a life, it is with the hope of instilling 
into the minds of those who come after the 
important lesson that honor and station are 
sure rewards of individual exertion. That 
the career of such a person besides being 
treasured in the hearts of relatives and 
friends, should have its public record also, is 
peculiarly proper because a knowledge of 
men whose substantial fame rests upon their 
attainments and character must exert a 
wholesome influence upon the rising gener- 
ation. The life of Mr. Richardson lias in- 
deed been a busy and successful one and the 
record is eminently worthy of perusal by the 
student who would learn the intrinsic essence 
of individuality and its influence in mould- 
ing public opinion and giving character and 
stablity to a community. 

Edward Richardson, the well known edi- 
tor of the Olney Democrat, of which he is 
owner, also publisher of the Olney Review, 



both now popular, and one of the influential 
men of Richland county, Illinois, was bom 
in Lawrence county, this state, October 7, 
1867, the son of Thomas H. and Eliza J. 
Richardson, the former a native of Kentucky 
and the latter of North Carolina, both repre- 
sentatives of old families of sterling char- 
acter. 

The early education of our subject was ob- 
tained in the public schools of Olney, where 
he carefully applied himself, evincing an ear- 
ly liking for literary studies and deciding 
when a mere boy to devote his life to news- 
paper work in some form. 

The business career proper of Mr. Rich- 
ardson began October 22, 1891, when he 
commenced the publication of the Olney 
Democrat with C. L. V. Tinker, who sold 
his interest to become city editor of the Vin- 
cennes Sun. Since that time, twelve years 
ago, Mr. Richardson has owned and edited 
the Democrat alone, building up the paper 
until it now has a wide circulation and its 
mechanical appearance shows that he has a 
modern plant, the office being one of the 
best equipped in this section of the state. 
The Olney Review was established by our 
subject early in 1908 and it has been a suc- 
cessful venture, supplying a long felt want in 
the field it seeks to serve. These papers have 
been especially noted for their strong sup- 
port of all moral questions and the)- have en- 
joyed the support of the best citizens. Aside 
from the political phase of these papers they 
are designed to vibrate with the public pulse 
and in addition to the news of the day. their 
columns teem with much of the best current 
literature and they are clean, dignified family 



28 4 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCEN1 HISTORY 01 



papers as well as p ipular and influential po? 
litical organs and their steady growth in 
public Favor bespeak for them futures of 
still greatei promise and usefulness under 
the able management of Mr. Richardson, 
who is not only an editorial moulder of pub- 
lic opinion, but he also makes his influence 
felt in directing the affairs of the count}-, be- 
ing an enterprising, public-spirited citizen 
with the affairs of his county at heart. 

Our subject was united in marriage with 
Ilulda Strathmann, on February <>, i8<j8. 
The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Adolph 
Strathmann. who became Mrs. Richardson, 
was born in St. Louis, Missouri, January 17. 
1877. Her father is now deceased and her 
mother is now Mrs. Emma I.. Busefrnk. The 
subject and wife are the parents of three 
children, namely: Paul, nine years old in 
1909: Martha and Mary, twins, who arc 
five years old. 

Mr. Richardson is a member of the Meth- 
odist Episcopal church and in his political 
relations he supports the Democratic party, 
tie 1- a forceful factor in directing thought 
along those lines which make for the en- 
lightenment 'it' the public and the highest 
d of his fell >w men. 



JOHN II. VAWTER. 

Improvement and progress may well be 
said to form the keynote of the character of 
our subject, and he has nol only been inter- 
ested in the work of advancement in indi- 



vidual affairs but his influence is felt in up- 
building the community, where he has al- 
ways resided. Mr. Vawter has been a very 
industrious man all his life, striving to keep 
abreast of the times in every respect, and 
as a result every mile post of the years he 
has passed has found him farther advanced, 
more prosperous, more sedate and with a 
larger number of friends than the preceding. 
John 11. Vawter was born in Salem, Illi- 
nois, in i860. His father was Reuben T. 
Vawter. a native of Tennessee who came to 
Marion county about 1850, when he was yet 
a young man. settling in Salem, where he 
established a tailor shop, having always been 
a tailor by trade and a first class workman 
in this line. He lived here and met with 
worthy success until his death which oc- 
curred in i86_\ The mother of the subject 
was known in her maidenhood as Eleanor 
M. Kimball, a native of Tennessee, who was 
a woman of main' beautiful traits, who 
was called to her rest in 1903. Besides the 
subject of this sketch Mr. and Mrs. Reuben 
T. Vawter were the parents of another child. 
V EC Vawter, now living in Oklahoma, 
where he is known as a man of good char- 
acter and much business ability. The sub- 
ject's mother's second marriage occurred 
about [867, to William Mctcalf. John 
11. Vawter made a splendid record while 
attending the common schools in Sa 
[em. After reaching maturity he went 
into the coal and teaming business. 

later entered the produce business, prosper- 
ing at each of these, but he decided that the 
hardware business vvas more to his liking 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



28S 



and consequently he entered this field in his 
home town in the spring of 190 1. His suc- 
cess was assured from the first, and his busi- 
ness has rapidly grown, making it necessary 
for him to gradually increase his stock, 
which he has done until at present he has one 
of the most complete and carefully selected 
hardware stocks in Marion county. He has 
been in his present location ever since he en- 
tered the business and he numbers his cus- 
tomers from all parts of the county, and 
owing to his courteous treatment and the 
excellent quality of goods he handles, to- 
gether with the fact that they are always 
sold at reasonable figures, his reputation lias 
been firmly established and gained for him 
not only hundreds of loyal customers, but at 
the same time hosts of friends. 

Mr. Vawter was married in 1883, to 
Maggie T. Garner, the refined daughter of 
Albert C. Garner, a well known and highly 
respected family of Salem, and to this union 
four interesting children have been born, as 
follows : Lillian G., whose date of birth oc- 
curred in 1886; Hattie X., who was born in 
1889: Marietta's birth occurred in 1891 ; 
and Irene first saw the light of day in 1901. 

Mr. Vawter has always taken a conspicu- 
ous part in public affairs and as a result of 
his humanitarian impulses his fellow citi- 
zens have honored him by electing him 
Mayor of the City of Salem, which respon- 
sible office he at present (1908) holds, the 
duties of which he ably performs to the en- 
tire satisfaction of this vicinity, and 
during his administration he has done much 
for the betterment and material progress of 



the city, with the result that Salem is one 
of the cleanest, most inviting and well gov- 
erned cities in this part of the state. He 
also served faithfully for four years as Al- 
derman. 

Mr. Vawter is a staunch Democrat and 
well fortified in his political beliefs, being 
at all times ready to lend his support to the 
party's good, and his counsel is often sought 
and always heeded in local conventions and 
elections, for the public knows that Mr. 
Vawter always stands for the best man pos- 
sible in local offices, and whoever he places 
the stamp of approval on is sure to be ac- 
ceptable to the public at large. In his fra- 
ternal relations, he is a member of the In- 
dependent Order of Odd Fellows, the 
Knights of Pythias and the Woodmen. Sa- 
lem is g-lad to number him as one of her 
leading merchants and among its representa- 
tive citizens. The record of his busines ca- 
reer might be summed up in the terse ex- 
pression that he is "above want and below 
envy." 



L. B. KEITH. 



It is not even - man who succeeds in giv- 
ing his name to a town, but this distinction 
fell to Peter Keith, who emigrated from 
Pennsylvania during the first half of the 
last century and found his way to Noble 
county. Ohio. He there entered a section 
of land from the government and by hard 
work eventually whipped it into the condi- 
tion of a fairly productive farm. Gradual 



286 



BIOGRAl'IIK \l \XI> I'l MINISl'KNT HISTORY OF 



increase of population in the neighborhood 
led to tlie demand for a town, which was 
eventually established on Peter Keith's land 

and named in In- honor. He continued to 
reside there until his death in 1805. lie 
left a sun. 1'. C. Keith, who was horn mi 
the Noble county homestead, became a mer- 
chant later in life and still resides in the 
town which bears his family name. He 
married Susan Coffey, whose parents emi- 
grated fii mi Scotland to America in 1826 
and settled near Caldwell, Ohio, where they 
spent the remainder of their days, the father 
dying in 1872, and his wife in [876. Mr. 
and Mrs. 1'. C. Keith had ten children, 
whose births are thus recorded: Clara 
Frances, deceased: I.. W., deceased: L. B. 
subject of this sketch: Mary Eliza < '■ roves. 
of Caldwell. Ohio; Charles, of Keith. Ohio: 
\sa. of Waterford, Ohio; Edward, of Gree- 
ley, Towa : O. \\\. a merchant at Water- 
ford, Ohio; W. O.. of Detroit. Michigan; 
Raymond C, of Phoenix, Arizona. 

L B. Keith, who is number three in the 
above list, was born in Noble county. Ohio, 
October i_\ [862. He attended school at 
Keith, and in 1888 he removed to Illinois. 
locating at Reinard in the county of Wayne. 
He engaged at mice in the mercantile busi- 
ness, which he prosecuted diligently until 
his removal to Flora in 1000. At this point 
be resumed in the same line and so con- 
tinued for two years. Being appointed 
City Marshal, he devoted two years of his 
time to the duties of this office and then 
accepted the position of lieutenant of police 
in the service of the Baltimore & Ohio 



Railroad. This he held for one year and in 

101 > 1 engaged in the seed and implement 
business under the firm name of Borders & 
Keith. In politics he is a red hot Democrat 
and always at the front when a campaign 
is in progress. His fraternal relations are 
with the Odd Fellows, Rebekahs, Red Men, 
Modern Woodmen and Maccabees. 

In [892 Mr. Keith married Miss Julia 
A. Xeff. a native of Reinard, and they have 
three children; Harry, burn in 18(^3, Marie 
burn in 1896, and F.ddie Fay, born in 1898. 
Mrs. Keith departed this life January 0, 
11)07. and was mourned as a good wife and 
ni' ither. 



JOSEPH A PRATHER. 

This venerable citizen of Raccoon town- 
ship. Marion count}', has been a very active 
man in the development of this part of the 
Union, having spent his long life in this and 
her sister state on the east. I te has seen the 
wonderful growth of the country from its 
wild prairies, dense forests, inhabited by 
red men and wild beasts to 1 me of the rich- 
est and best countries in the world. 

Joseph A. Prather was burn in Clark 
county, Indian.a. January 31. [824, the son 
of Sihon and Elizabeth (Williams) Prather, 
the former a native of North Carolina and 
the latter of Virginia. The subject'- father 
grew up in the Tar Heel state and moved to 
Clark count). Indiana, where he lived on a 
farm and where he and his wife both dad 
IK- wa- a Democral and held the office of 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



28/ 



Tustice of the Peace several years. He was 
a member of the Methodist church, well 
known and influential. They were the pan 
ents of the following children : Louisa, de- 
ceased ; Samantha, deceased : Thomas, de- 
ceased ; John, deceased; Joseph A., our sub- 
ject: William, deceased: Margaret lives in 
Clark county. Indiana. Several children 
died young. 

Joseph A. Prather, our subject, had few 
opportunities to become educated, however 
he attended subscription schools for a time 
and lived at home until he was twenty-one 
years of age, when he went to Floyd county. 
Indiana, and in 1844 married Sarah Ann 
Patrick, a native of Clark county, that state, 
where she was born December 3, 1827. the 
daughter of William and Nancy (Harris) 
Patrick, the former a native of North Caro- 
lina and the latter of Virginia. They lived 
and died in Clark county. Indiana, on a 
farm. There were twelve children in their 
family as follows: Jeremiah. Rebecca, John, 
Elizabeth. Man-. William. Solomon. James. 
Nancy. Lewis, Sarah Ann. and Eliza. They 
are all deceased except the wife of our sub- 
ject. Mr. and Mrs. Prather became the par- 
ents of nine children, three deceased, name- 
ly : Nancy, who married Roland Warren, 
lives in Centralia. Illinois, and is the mother 
of eight children : Margaret, who is now de- 
ceased, having died January 24, 1908. mar- 
ried Lewis Patton. having become the moth- 
er of ten children, one of whom is deceased ; 
John, who married E>elle Oldfield. is a 
farmer and teamster at Centralia, and lias 
for children : Eliza J., who married Thomas 



Shaw, of Centralia township, is the mother 
of eight children; Emmons R., a farmer in 
Raccoon township, first married Mollie Gas- 
ton and later Lillie Blair, of Raccoon town- 
ship, having had four children by his first 
wife and two by the second ; Etha is the wife 
of Charles Bundy, of Raccoon township, a 
full sketch of whom appears in this work: 
Orville, who is living on part of the old 
home place in Raccoon township, married, 
first Laura May, and his second wife .was 
Annie Howard, had three children by each 
wife: William died at the age of seven 
years : George died when two years old. 

The subject has fifty-three grandchildren 
and thirty-four great-grandchildren. After 
his marriage our subject lived in Floyd 
county. Indiana, having come to Marion 
county. Illinois, in 1854. where he pur- 
chased two hundred and twenty acres of 
land in sections 29 and 32. He made all 
the improvements on the place, there having 
been but very little when he took charge, 
but being a good manager and a hard 
worker he soon developed a most excellent 
fa mi and established a comfortable home. 
He carries on general farming, raising all 
kinds of grain, fruit and stock and making a 
success of all that he undertakes. He is a 
Democrat in politics and has held some of 
the offices in Raccoon township, always 
taking much interest in the affairs of his. 
township. He is a member of the Metho- 
dist Episcopal church at Walnut Hill. He 
has always been a hard working man and 
is still very well preserved for a man of his 
years, having a g'ood business mind and able 



288 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTOR\ OF 



to manage the many details of his fine farm 
with profit from year to year. He is a very 
well read man. keeping well posted on all 
current topics. As a result of his lite of in- 
dustry, honesty and kindness he has scores 
■ if warm friends and if a single enemy he 
due- not know it. Everybody in this part 
of Marion county knows "Uncle Joe" lea- 
ther, as he is familiarly called and every- 
body respects him very highly. 



J. W. SKIPWORTH. 

This venerable and highly hnored citi- 
zen of Centralia is eminently entitled to con- 
spicuous mention in this history, owing to 
the fact that he might properly be called a 
pioneer of this section, having seen and par- 
ticipated in the development of the same 
from the early days and the life he has led 
is one of commendation and worthy of emu- 
lation by younger generations, for it has 
been led along lines of usefulness and integ- 
rity. 

J. W. Skipworth was born in Maury 
county, Tennessee. September 25, 1823, 
therefore he is at this writing in his eighty- 
sixth year, hale and hearty as a boy. active 
and in possession of all his faculties as if he 
were many years younger. His parents. 
Hosea and Cassander (Ward) Skipworth, 
were both natives of North Carolina, the 
former having been born in 1776. The pa- 
ternal grandfather of the subject, Nathan 
Skipworth. was in the American army at 
the time of the Revolutionary war for a pe- 



riod of six years. I lur subject was present 
at his death. Eight children were born to 
the parents of the subject, four boys and 
an equal number of girls. J. \Y., the 
youngest of the number, is the only one liv- 
ing in 1908. 

Captain Ward, the father of our subject's 
mother, owned and operated a merchant 
sailing vessel on the Atlantic ocean from 
Wilmington, Delaware, to Liverpool (Eng- 
land. This was before the days of the Revo- 
lution. 

Hosea Skipworth. the subject's father left 
Tennessee and came to Illinois because he 
was opposed to slavery and the seceding of 
the Southern states from the Union. 

Our subject was five years old when his 
parents moved to Lebanon, Illinois, settling 
on a farm. Hosea Skipworth died at Leb- 
anon in 1832, his widow having survived 
until 1846, having died two miles south of 
Centralia, Marion county. Our subject's 
education was obtained at Centralia. He 
lived in that vicinity until he was sixty years 
old, when he moved to Centralia in 1873. 
He followed farming, trading and stock 
shipping. Our subject saw Centralia grow 
from a wilderness which abounded in 
wolves, deer, wild cats and some bear, when 
there were no houses except cabins in the 
woods, from one-half to three miles apart. 
The country round about was open prairie. 
Most of the residents of this community 
lived on wild meats during the winter, such 
as deer, prairie chicken, quail, wild turkey 
and squirrels. Often as many as one thou- 
sand prairie chickens were seen in one flock. 
Deer was more plentiful than cattle is now. 




J. W. SKIPWORTH. 



RICHLAND. CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



289 



The wolves killed the sheep and pigs. The 
bridges were all built by the nieghbors, being 
constructed of heavy logs. 

The subject recalls the campaign of James 
K. Polk for President, when the wagons 
throughout the country were decorated with 
polk-berry stain and those taking part in 
the parades and rallies used polk-stalks for 
canes. The market post for all trade was 
sixty-five miles away, St. Louis. The hogs 
were fattened for the most part on wild 
nuts or mast. It was then the custom for 
several neighbors to place their hogs in one 
drove and drive them to St. Louis for mar- 
ket. Mr. Skipworth says that the amuse- 
ments in those days consisted principally in 
shooting-matches, dances or "hoedowns," 
also horse races. The first choice of a beef 
was its hide, tallow and horns : meat was 
the second choice. July 4th always called 
for a big barbecue of beeves, mutton or 
pork, cooked in large trenches. The Dec- 
laration of Independence was always read, 
the drum and fife were very popular and 
the orator of the day was in evidence. Dur- 
ing election times the candidates furnished 
kegs of whisky, which was poured into 
buckets, by which sat a tin cup, and each 
one helped himself. The bucket always 
bore the name of the candidate. Where the 
railroad yard is now located in Centralia 
our subject says, he once saw a thousand 
wild geese and as many ducks in the water. 
The swampy place was filled with cinders 
and made solid. 

It was 1835 when our subject came to 
Marion county, through which no railroad 



was built until 1854. Coal mines were then 
unknown and government land and "squat- 
ter sovereignty" were the conditions prevail- 
ing here. Not one man in twenty owned his 
land. It was the cheaper not to own land, 
for then there were no taxes to pay. 
The first land sold for one dollar and twen- 
ty-five cents per acre, then two dollars and 
fifty cents per acre. When the Vandalia 
Railroad came through in 1852 the farmers 
bid in all their land ; then came the specu- 
lators. This land now sells for one hun- 
dred dollars per acre. 

Mr. Skipworth was married to Martha 
Crabtree, daughter of William and Mary 
Crabtree, who lived in Jefferson county, lat- 
er moved to Southwest Missouri. They were 
the parents of four children, the subject's 
wife being next to the youngest in order of 
birth. The date of the subject's wedding 
was January 3, 1841. The subject's wife 
had three brothers in the Mexican war. Four 
children were born to our subject and his 
first wife, namely : Julian, deceased ; John 
H., deceased; Ellen, living; Virenda, de- 
ceased. The first wife of the subject passed 
away April 4. 1854, and on May 29, 1855, 
Mr. Skipworth was married to Nellie Hos- 
kins. Eight children have been born to this 
union, namely : Louisa, who married Phillip 
Straus, living in Chicago; Charles, who died 
in 1875; Rhoda married Edward Root, liv- 
ing in Chicago, and they are the parents of 
one son, Charles. The other five children 
of the subject and his last wife have all 
passed away. 

Mr. Skipworth ably served his commu- 



J. II I 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



nity as School 1 >irector for a period of fifteen 
years. He first voted for John Crane, of 
Nashville, then the comity scat, Mr. Crane 
making the race for the Legislature from 
Washington county. Our subject was then 
eighteen years old. He cast his first vote for 
President for James K. Polk in 1844, and 
voted for Abraham Lincoln twice, but since 
then has voted the Democratic ticket. Relig- 
iously he was reared a Protestant Methodist. 
but is not a member of that church, and he 
was at one time an ( Kid Fellow, of the Cen- 
tralia lodge. Our subject has been prosper- 
ous during his long and active life, and he 
now owns three valuable lots in Centralia, on 
which he makes his home, surrounded by 
poultry and pigs, and he enjoys the peaceful 
retirement of his twilight of life, happy in 
the thought that his life has been well spent 
and his old age is free from regret or trouble. 
He is known as a man of scrupulous honesty, 
careful and judicious in all his dealings with 
his fellow men. and he enjoys wide acquaint- 
ance throughout the county, where he num- 
bers his friends by the hundreds. 



DAVID BAYLPR. 



The emigrant ancestor of the family oi 
this name was an Englishman, who came 
over early in the eighteenth century and es- 
tablished a home in Pennsylvania. He left 
i, Hardy, who inherited the home- 
stead and lived and died in his native state. 
I 1 ler, 31 'U ■ if the last mentii med, 



was born at Pittsburg, February 28, 
[800, but in early manhood removed to Le- 
high county, and thence to Columbia coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania. His next step took him 
to the West and finding a home at Nobles- 
ville. Indiana, he spent two years at that 
place, going from there to Clay county, 11 
linois. in October. 1839. He settled in the 
south end of Stanford township and in the 
course of years became a large land owner, 
at one time being possessed of two thou- 
sand acres. Me was among the first settlers 
of the county, ami became one 1 >f the wealth- 
iest and most influential of its citizens. Ih- 
death occurred at Clay City, October [3, 
[880. In early life he married Susan 
Saugh, a native of Pennsylvania, who died 
in 1837, in Hamilton county. Indiana. Of 
their five children David was the oldest and 
is the only one now living. His father re- 
married, taking for his second wife. Nancy 
Ellis, of Guilford county. North Carolina. 

David Pay ler was born in Lehigh county. 
Pennsylvania. January 5, 1824. He accom- 
panied his father to Illinois and has lived 
in Clay county ever since. \\ hen he arrived 
in [839, there was little else to sustain the 
population in provisions except wild game, 
The nearest mill was at Lawrenceville, a 
distance of forty miles. The county seat 
was at old Maysville and Mr. I Javier's fa- 
ther helped t< 1 moA e the 1 ild l".u jail to 1 .1 iuis- 
ville. The only means of public convej 
ance was by Stage. The family has a record 
for patriotism, extending back for more 
than a century. Two "1 Mr. P.a\ ler's an- 
cestors, uncles nf his father, were killed in 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



291 



the battle of Bradywine, during- the Rev- 
olutionary war. Two of his brothers en- 
listed in Company A, Ninety-eighth Regi- 
ment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry. Jere- 
miah, one of these soldiers, was killed at 
Murfreesboro, Tennessee, by a mule falling 
on him. and John, the other one. was dis- 
charged for disability. Mr. Bayler himself 
tried to enlist, but was refused on account 
of deafness. After a strenuous and busy 
existence, he located at Flora. September 
11, 1907, to enjoy a well deserved retire- 
ment during the evening of his life and oc- 
cupies a modern dwelling. He still owns 
the farm which he has had since coming to 
the county, and he has always kept it well 
stocked and in a high state of improvement. 
Though always an ardent Republican, he 
has never sought office and with the excep- 
tion of a term or two as School Director, has 
held no official positions. He has ever been 
a liberal giver to churches and other charit- 
able organizations. At one time he donated 
ground and material to build a church on his 
farm, besides considerable money. He de- 
lights in fine cattle and stock of all kinds 
and has raised a great deal of the best dur- 
ing his career as a farmer. He is a man 
of genial disposition, an unusually fine con- 
versationalist and fond of meeting his 
friends, who are sure of entertainment from 
the rich recollections stored up through a 
long and busy life. 

May 6, 1846, Mr. Bayler married Nancy 
Long, a native of Delphi, Ohio, who died 
August 1, 1870, after becoming the mother 
of eleven children, of whom the following 



five are living: \V. \\\, of Clinton, Ken- 
tucky; Hannah Gill, of Clay City township; 
Rosetta Lindsay, of Standford township; 
Margaret Eden, of Kinderhook, Illinois; 
David D., of Braman, Oklahoma. Febru- 
ary 12, 1 87 1, Mr. Bayler married Susannah 
Ogg. a native of Robinson county, Tennes- 
see, by whom he had eight children, all 
living but one. They are: Minnie Cokley, 
of Standford township; Alice Standford, 
and Edmund Bayler, also of Standford, 
township;; Charles Bayler, of Fort Collins, 
Colorado; Andrew J., Clara and Emma, 
living with their father in Flora. 



CHARLES E. BUNDY. 

Among the men of influence in Marion 
county, who have the interest of their local- 
ity at heart and who have led consistent 
lives, thereby gaining definite success along 
their chosen lines, is the subject of this 
sketch, being regarded as one of the leading 
farmers of Raccoon township, where he has 
a valuable and highly productive landed es- 
state, which he manages with that care and 
discretion that stamps him as a twentieth 
century agriculturist of the highest order. 

Charles E. Bundy was bom in Marion 
county, Illinois, on his father's old homestead 
in the above named township, February 3, 
1862. the son of George Bundy, who was 
born December 25, 1837. and who married 
Elizabeth Hiltibidal. He was born in Rac- 
coon township and his wife in Centralia 






BIOGRAPHK \i VND REMINISCEN1 HISTORY OF 



township, the former on August 9, [838, the 
son of John, known as Jack. Bundy. The 
subject's father grew up and married in 
Raccoon township and lived there all his 
life. He was one of the prominent fanners 
and stockmen. He was a Republican, was 
Justice of the Peace and served in many 
minor township offices. He and his wife 
were members of the Christian church. He 
died July 1. [904, and she died January 30, 
1900. He was nol onh popular but high- 
ly esteemed. The subject of this sketch was 
their only child. 

George Bundy was one of the patriotic 
citizens of the Prairie state who responded 
to the call for volunteers to save the na- 
tion's integrity during the sixties, having 
enlisted in the Union army, August 12, 
1 S62, and served faithfully in Company H, 
Eightieth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and 
he was mustered out June 19, 1865. He 
was a flag bearer. He met with an acci- 
dent while on duty in the service. While car- 
rying the flag, he caught his foot on a grape 
vine, fell and was very badly injured. After 
the war our subject returned to Raccoon 
township and being a hard worker he se- 
cured two hundred and thirty-nine acres in 
this township. He had only a common 

3cl 1 education in the home schools. He 

has always lived on a part of the old home- 
stead. 

< >ur subject, < !harles E. Bundy. was united 
in marriage October 29, [885, to Effie Jane 
Prather, who was born in Raccoon town- 
ship, the daughter of Joseph Prather, a na- 
tive of Indiana. He was one of the old and 



Favorably known residents of Raccoon town- 
ship. Eleven children have been born to 
our subject and wife as follows: Sarah 
Gladys, Earl, [va May, George Ashton, 
Carroll Ashton, Thomas Oren, John Guy; 
Lola Elizabeth; Ula Violet; Paul Sherman, 
and Charles Deward. 

Our subject has always been a man 1 1 F 
industry and has made many valuable and 
lasting improvements on his place. He re- 
modeled his fine home in 1908, making it a 
very attractive, substantial and comfortable 
one. He has a most excellent and valuable 
■ irehard of forty acres. He carries on gen- 
eral farming and stock raising with that 
rare foresight that insures success. 

While Mr. Bundy is a loyal Republican, 
and anxious to see his county develop along 
all lines, he has never aspired for public 
office. He is a memlx?r of the Farmers' 
Union. He is known to be a man of thor- 
oughly honest principles, public-spirited and 
agreeable to all his neighbors and many 
friends. 



M. VV. MICHAELS. 

Mr. Michaels, of tins review, is one of 
those strong, sturdy characters who has 
tributed largely to the material welfare 1 E 
the community and township in which he re- 
sides, being a modern agriculturist and a 
business man of more than ordinary sagac- 
ity and foresight, and as a citizen public- 
spirited and progressive in all thai the terms 
imply. For a number of years he has been 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



?93 



an important factor in promoting the prog- 
ress of Marion county. 

M. W. Michaels was born near Sumner, 
Lawrence county, Illinois, May 19, 1861, 
the son of Samuel Michaels, a native of 
Pennsylvania, who was born in 18 15, and 
came to Illinois when a young boy. before 
Chicago was known. He was a sturdy pio- 
neer and braved the dangers, inconveniences 
and obstacles of the early days, securing a 
wild piece of land which he transformed 
into a valuable and highly productive farm, 
devoting his entire life to agricultural pur- 
suits. He came to Marion county in 1880 
and was called from his earthly labors in 
R omine township, Illinois, in 1897. The 
mother of the subject was also a woman of 
the strongest mould and possessed the ster- 
ling qualities of the typical pioneer woman. 
Samuel Michaels was three times married 
and had a family of twenty children, eight- 
een of whom are living in 1908, a somewhat 
remarkable record. His first wife was a Ea- 
kas, who became the mother of six children, 
all now living, as follows : Mary A., wife of 
W. J. Jones, of Iuka. Illinois; Anna, the 
wife of Joseph Clevy. of Pomona. Kansas; 
Adline. the wife of Isaac Williams, of 
Browns, Illinois: Mrs. Lafe Jones, of Cal- 
houn. Illinois; Mrs. Martha Jones, of Sum- 
ner. Illinois: William' B. lives at Kremlin. 
Oklahoma. The second wife of Samuel 
Michaels was Mary A. Collins, daughter of 
William Collins, who was murdered near 
Lawrenceville, Illinois, in the seventies. The 
following children were bom to this union : 
M. W., the subject of this sketch: Samuel, 
of Gettysburg, Washington; L. G., of 



Franklin, i\laska : C. J., of Iuka, Illinois* 
R. B., of Centralia, Illinois; W. N., of Iuka, 
Illinois; Rose, widow of John Meadows, liv- 
ing in St. Louis, Missouri ; Charlie, who is 
living in one of the Western states. The 
mother of these children passed to the other 
shore December 13, 1879. The third wife 
of the subject's father was Caroline Turner, 
a native of Illinois, who became the mother 
of the following children : Cora, wife of 
Charles Bryan, of Iuka, Illinois; Elizabeth, 
who was the wife of Charles Williams, is 
now deceased : Alvin. Ida and Minnie all 
live in Romine township ; Albert died in in- 
fancy. L. J. Michaels, brother of the sub- 
ject, has been in Alaska since about 1897. 
and has made a great success at placer min- 
ing, refusing fifty thousand dollars for his 
claims. 

The subject of this sketch lived with his 
father, assisting with the farm work and 
attending the neighboring schools in the 
winter, until he became a young man, when 
he went west, where he spent several years 
in the railroad business, gaining a fund of 
valuable experience and information. He 
finally returned home and married, Novem- 
ber 6, 1883, Maggie Taylor, daughter of 
P. A. Taylor. Both he and his wife were 
natives of Kentucky. Mr. Michaels went 
west again in 1887 with his family and 
worked from Colorado to New Mexico, but 
was in California most of the time. He re- 
turned to Illinois in 1897, and began farm- 
ing in Romine township. He made a signal 
success of farming, having improved a good 
tract of land and skillfully managed the 
same until he soon had not only a comfort- 



294 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



able living, but quite a competency laid by. 
Mr. Michaels is a stockholder in the First 
National Bank at Salem, however, he de- 
votes his attention to farming interests 
principally and is known as one of the best 
and most painstaking agriculturists in the 
township and his farm shows unmistakably 
that a man of thrift and industry manages it. 

Mr. Michaels is a member of the Ma 
sonic fraternity, also the Woodmen, and 
both he and his wife are members of the 
Christian church. The subject and wife 
are the parents of two children, namely : 
Clarence, who was bom July 1 8, 1885. He 
is a bright young man who gives prom- 
ise of a brilliant and successful future. The 
second child. Everett, died in infancy. 

Mr. Michaels has always taken consider- 
able interest in political matters and of re- 
cent years has been influential in local elec- 
tions, being well grounded and well read in 
his political opinions and on political sub- 
jects. Having a laudable ambition for offi- 
cial preferment, and being a popular man 
in his party, his Republican friends selected 
him for Sheriff, having been elected to this 
important office in [906, by a big majority 
in a county nominally Democratic, which 
shows that he is regarded as a strong man 
in his community. He also served as a 
member of the County Hoard for two terms. 
representing his township, fie has shown 
elf eminently capable in all the offices 
or positions of public or private trust that 
have been proffered, giving entire satisfac- 
tion to all his constituents and. in fact, every 
one concerned. 



JOSEPH S. PEAK. 

The state of Maryland contributed her 
proportion of emigrants to form the army of 
pioneers who crossed the Alleghanies in the 
earlier part ol the nineteenth centurj t< 1 grap 
pie with the western wilderness. Among 
the number was Joseph Peak, whose birth oc- 
curred about the time of the Revolutionary 
war. and who. after marrying Lucy Leach, 
started on the perilous trip to the "Dark and 
Bloody Ground," south of the Ohio river. 
He does not seem to have been pleased with 
the opportunities offered by Kentucky, as we 
find him soon crossing over to the more con- 
genial soil of the Buckeye state. He settled 
in I hitler county, then as now, one of the 
best sections of Ohio and made his living by 
farming until his death in 1035. He had 
eight children and among them William B 
Peak, whose birth occurred on the Butler 
county homestead. September _' 5. [8l2. He 
also followed the occupation of farming, but 
concluding late in life that the Illinois prai- 
ries offered better inducements, he removed 
to thai state in August, [864, and settled in 
Flora, where he engaged in business until his 
death, January 7, [896. Aside from agricul- 
tural pursuits, he became a preacher of the 
Methodist Episcopal church and did much 
religious work during the active period of 
his life, lie married Cynthia Flanner, a 
native of Butler county, Ohio, who made 
him a faithful companion until her death 
in [874, This worthy couple had eleven 
children, all but one of whom lived to ma- 
turity and eight are still living. Of 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



2 95 



these. Mrs. Angeline Chidester is a resident 
of Flora, Airs. Alary Floyd is a resident of 
Dublin, Indiana. Rev. T. De Witt Teak is 
a citizen of Litchfield. Illinois. Airs. Caro- 
line Major makes her home in Flora. Rev. 
R. F. Peak holds forth at Oakland, Califor- 
nia. Airs. S. C. Alanker is the sixth in order 
of birth. Airs. C. E. Beckett resides at Cen- 
tralia, Illinois. Joseph S. Peak, the second in 
order of birth of the surviving children, was 
born in Butler county, Ohio, March 16, 1837. 
He accompanied his parents to Clay county 
during the latter part of the Civil war, after 
obtaining a fair common school education, 
partly in his native county and partly 11 Shel- 
by county, Indiana, where the family so- 
journed for a while. For many years after 
reaching Illinois, he combined farming and 
school teaching as a means of livelihood. In 
August, 1861, he enlisted in Company D, 
Thirty-third Regiment Indiana Volunteer In- 
fantry, with which he served nine mouths, 
being discharged on account of sickness. He 
farmed and taught school in Indiana before 
he came to Illinois, where he spent his time 
on a farm until the winter of 1893, when he 
removed to Flora, Illinois. In 1884 he was 
elected Surveyor of Clay county on the Re- 
publican ticket, in which office he served ac- 
ceptably fur four years. In 1888 he obtained 
the nomination for the same office, but was 
defeated, at the polls. He tried again 
in 1894. and was triumphantly elected, 
but after serving his term, aban- 
doned politics for the real estate and gen- 
eral notary business. In 1896 he was elected 
Justice of the Peace and has continued to 



exercise the duties of that office by repeated 
re-elections. He had served in this capacity 
also while a resident of the country, previous 
to his removal to Flora. Air. Teak is a hale 
and vigorous man for his age and possessed 
of a cheerfufl disposition, fortified by many 
of the sterling virtues. He has resided in or 
near Flora for forty-five years and is known 
to every one in the county. He is a member 
of the Methodist Episcopal church and for 
five years was secretary of the International 
Sunday School Association. He is com- 
mander of the local post of the Grand Army 
of the Republic. On October 7, 1857. Air. 
Peak Married Susan E. Lick, who was born 
and reared near the town of Hope in Barthol- 
omew county, Indiana. Their marriage re- 
lations have continued harmonious for over 
fifty-one years. Of their seven children, 
those living are Airs. Addie Lewis, of Oma- 
ha, Nebraska ; Charles A. Peak, of the same 
city; Airs. Alary Chapman, also of Omaha; 
W. B. Peak, Omaha ; E. E. Peak, of Detroit, 
Michigan; Miss Stella Peak, of Flora. 



FRANK LOOAIIS. 



.Among those men of Aiarion county, 
who by the mere force of their personality, 
have forged their way to the front ranks 
of that class of citizens who may justly be 
termed progressive, is the gentleman whose 
name heads this sketch, who has a fine farm 
in Tonti township, which he has taken a 
great interest in and which he has improved 



2( /' I 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



in a mosl systematic way until it is the equal 
of any in the vicinity where it is so admir- 
ably located. 

Frank Loomis was born in this township. 
March jo, 1865. the son of S. E. and Mar- 
garet (McMurray) Loomis, a highly re- 
spected family and for several generations 
well known in Marion count)-. S. E. 
Loomis was a native of Ohio, where he was 
born October 12, 1841, and came with his 
parents to Marion county, Illinois, in 1846, 
and after a life of hard work in practically 
a new country, he passed to his rest in 1885. 
Almon Loomis. the grandfather of our sub- 
ject, also came to this county from Ohio, 
settling on the farm where Frank Loomis 
now lives. He was one of the pioneers in 
this part of the county and reclaimed the 
farm in question from the wilderness. He 
is remembered as a hard worker and a good 
man in every respect. lie passed to his rest 
in tln> township July 26, 1893. 

S. E. Loomis was married in Marion 
county, his wife having come to this country 
from Scotland, where she was horn. Four 
children were born to this marriage. Three 
sons .nc now living, namely: Frank, our 
subject; Byron ('.. and Louis L. Frank 
Loomis was reared upon his father's farm 
in Tonti township and worked during the 
summer months on the farm, attending the 
district schools during the winter months 

until he had a fairlj g 1 common school 

education. IK- remained at home until he 

was twenty-one years old, and at the age 

of twenty-three was united in marriage with 
Ida M. Martin, the affable and congenial 



daughter of Caleb and Martha J. ( Mc- 
Ilenevi Martin. Her father was Ixirn in 
North Carolina, and he moved to Tennessee, 
later coming to Marion county. Illinois. 
The mother of Mrs. Loomis was l>orn in 
Tonti township, this county. Ida M. was 
the sixth child in order of birth in this fam- 
ily. She was educated in the dis- 
trict schools, where she applied her- 
self in such a manner as to become 
well educated. Two children were born 
to the subject and wife, namely: Glen 
M., born September 12, [890, and Omer F., 
who was born April 23, 1895. They are 
both bright boys, and will, no doubt, make 
their mark in the world. Mr. Loomis is 
the owner of a farm consisting of one hun- 
dred and twenty acres on which he carries 
on general farming which yields him a com- 
fortable living from year to year and at the 
same time permits him to lay up a compe- 
tency for old age and to give his children 
every necessary advantage in launching 
them successfully in the battle of life. His 
fields are well tilled, the crops of heavy 
grain being rotated with closer so as to re- 
tain the strength of the soil. lie has a 
comfortable and substantial residence which 
is well furnished and nicely kept. Many 
and convenient out buildings also stand on 
the place, and much good stock of various 
kinds is to be found in his fields and barns. 
In politics Mr. Loomis is a staunch Re- 
publican, but he 'Iocs not take a very active 
pari in party affairs, being contented to 
spend his time on his farm. Fraternally he 
is a member of the Hen Hur lodge, Odin, 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



297 



No. 226. Mrs. Loomis is also a member 
of this organization. He is regarded as one 
of the substantial and best citizens of Tonti 
township. 



roy h. Mcknight, m. d. 

The grandfather of this popular physi- 
cian was James A. McKnight, a native of 
Indiana, who became an early settler of Il- 
linois. He located at Ingraham. in the 
county of Clay, and prosecuted his trade as 
a miller, a business of much importance in 
a pioneer community. His death occurred 
in 1895. when he was quite advanced in 
years. He had been accompanied to Il- 
linois by his son. Frank, who was born in 
Indiana, learned his father's trade of mill- 
ing, and continued in this calling during the 
working period of his life, which ended at 
Ingraham, in 1894, at the comparatively 
early age of forty-seven years. Frank Mc- 
Knight was married in early manhood to 
Lou Shriner. a native of Ohio, who is 
still residing in Chicago. The chil- 
dren of this union, three in number, were : 
Roy H.. Rolla. now at Minnie, Arkansas, 
and Hazel, a resident of Chicago. 

Roy H. McKnight was born March 14. 
[881, at Ingraham. Clay county. Illinois. Af- 
ter the usual elementary course in the district 
schools at home, he was graduated in 1899 
from the Jefferson high school in Chicago. 
In 1900. he matriculated in the medical de- 
partment of the Illinois University and spent 
three years in diligent prosecution of his 



studies. After leaving this institution, three 
additional years were spent at the Dearborn 
Medical College in Chicago, from which he 
was graduated in the class of 1906. After 
practicing a year in Chicago, Dr. McKnight 
opened an office in Clay City in the fall of 
1907 and since then has continued in busi- 
ness at that place. He had a lucrative prac- 
tice in the hospital at Englewood. but was 
forced to give this up and seek the country 
on account of ill health. The doctor's early 
career was at once a test of his ambitious 
determination and a guarantee of his success 
in life, as he early learned the valuable les- 
son of self-denial and saving. When his fa- 
ther died, he was thrown on his own re- 
sources at the tender age of thirteen. He 
bought a pair of overalls and a cap. took 
a freight train to Chicago and found employ- 
ment at four dollars per week. All but fifty 
cents of this went for board, but on this scant 
surplus he saved money. When by hard work 
and faithful service he was promoted to a 
stipend of four dollars and fifty cents a week, 
he was correspondingly happy. His first 
work was for the Thompson (bicycle) Man- 
ufacturing Company and his next job was 
with the Western Electric Company. His 
hard labor extended through seven years, at 
the end of which time he found himself in 
])i ssession of the, to him. munificent remuner- 
ation of twenty-five dollars per week. In the. 
seven years he saved four thousand dollars, 
every cent of which was spent in procuring 
his education as a physician. It is hardly 
necessary to add that the doctor is a pro- 
gressive young man, of boundless ambition 



x |8 



I'.IOCK Al'llU'Al. AND REMINISlKNT HISTORY IlK 



and possessing especial aptitude and ability. 
Dr. McKnight is a member of the American, 
Clay County and Cook (Chicago) County 
Medical societies. He is a Mason and holds 
membership in Union Park Lodge, No. 610. 
of that order in Chicago. 

In 1903, Dr. McKnight was married to 
Bertha May Hill, of Wheeling, West Vir- 
ginia, and tliev have one child. Mildred, 
horn July 1. M)04. The parents are mem- 
bers of the Christian church at Clay City. 



GEORGE J. HEAVER. 

The gentleman to whom the biographer 
now calls the reader's attention was not fa- 
vored by inherited wealth or the assistance 
of influential friends, but in spite of this, 
by perseverance, industry and a wise 
economy, he has attained a comfortable sta- 
tion in life, and is well and favorably known 
throughout Tonti and surrounding town- 
ships, Marion county, as a result of the in- 
dustrious life he has lived there for over 
a half century. 

1 ieorge J. Heaver was born in Crawford 
county, Ohio, December 8, 1838, the son 
of George Jacob and Christena (Fritz) 
Heaver, both natives of Wertenburg, Ger- 
many. They married in the Fatherland 
where two children were born to them. 
Deciding that greater opportunties were to 
be found in the United States they landed 
at Sandusky, Ohio, July 3, 1838, and be- 
fore becoming hardlj established in the new 



country the father died December 1, 1838. 
His widow re-married in 1841, her second 
husband being Levi Kline, of Crawford 
ci unity . Ohio, and in 1849 tne y emigrated to 
Marion county, Illinois, locating west of 
Salem, where they lived until 1854, when 
Mr. Kline died, and his widow was again 
married, her third husband being (ieorge 
Kline ; both are now deceased. 

The first marriage of Christena Fritz re- 
sulted in the birth of four children, two- 
boys and two girls, all deceased but the sub- 
ject of this sketch. George J. Heaver re- 
mained at home under the parental roof-tree 
until he reached maturity. Hi-- educational 
advantages were very limited but he early 
acquired enough schooling to read and write, 
but being by nature an intelligent man, he 
has succeeded admirably well without tech- 
nical training. Our subject was one of 
those loyal sons of the North, who. when the 
fierce fires of rebellion were raging in the 
Southland, felt it his duty to forsake home 
ties and offer bis services in behalf of the 
stars and stripes, consequently he enlisted in 
Company A, * >ne Hundred and Eleventh Il- 
linois Volunteer Infantry, on August 12. 
[862, under ("apt. Amos Clark, of Salem, Il- 
linois, and was 111 camp at that place. He 
was called to Camp Marshall where he re- 
mained until October 31. i8d_>, when his 
company was sent to Columbus, Kentucky. 
ami was assigned to the Army of the Cum- 
berland, later taking part in the battle at Re- 
saca, Georgia, and the strenuous Atlanta 
campaign, also in Sherman's famous march 
tn the sea. ( >ur subject also came hack with 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



>99 



Sherman's army through the Carolinas to 
Washington City. He was mustered out 
here after rendering conspicuous and valu- 
able service, and returned to Springfield, 
Illinois, on June 6, 1865. He was wounded 
mi May 13, 1864, which resulted in his be- 
ing absent from duty for some time. He 
rejoined his regiment at Rome, Georgia, af- 
ter he had recovered. After his career in the 
army our subject returned to Salem, this 
state, and engaged in farming. 

Mr. Heaver was united in marriage in 
1866 to Maggie Williams, of Salem, who 
was born in Ohio, February 13, 1838. She 
was a woman of many fine characteristics, 
and after a harmonious wedded life of 
twenty-six years she was called to her rest 
in the fall of 1902. Four children were 
born to our subject and wife as follows : 
George W. was born February 19, 1870; 
Louie C. was born September 29, 1874; 
William W. was born October 1, 1869, died 
aged seven years ; Charles W. was born in 
1879. 

Mr. Heaver was in Texas for a period of 
eight years where he made a financial suc- 
cess of his labors, but he returned to this 
county in 1885. He is now the owner of 
sixty-five acres of land in Tonti township 
which he farmed with the greatest results at- 
tending his efforts, for he understands well 
all the details of managing a farm success- 
fully. His fields are well fenced and cleanly 
kept. Most of the corn the place produces 
is fed on the farm to various kinds of stock. 
He has a nice and comfortable dwelling and 
plenty of good out buildings. His son, 



George W., and daughter, Louie C, live 
with him. 

In his social relations our subject is a 
member of the Salem Post, No. 202, Grand 
Army of the Republic, in which he takes 
a great interest, as might be expected. He 
is a member of the Presbyterian church, a 
regular attendant at the local gatherings of 
this denomination in which he has long 
taken a delight. In his political affiliations 
he is a loyal Democrat, and faithfully served 
the public as Commissioner of Highways 
and Road Supervisor. He is regarded by 
every one who knows him as a man of sound 
business principles, honest and kind. 



joseph k. Mclaughlin. 

Our subject is the present Supervisor of 
Raccoon township where no man is better 
known or is held in higher respect than he, 
for his life has been led along honorable 
lines and he has always had the interest of 
his county at heart. 

Joseph K. McLaughlin was born in Wal- 
nut Hill, Marion county, September 26. 
1850, the son of James and Ann E. (Lyons) 
McLaughlin, both natives of Ireland, where 
they married. They came to the United 
States in 1845 ana settled in Randolph 
county, Illinois, later came to Marion county 
and in 1848 settled near Walnut Hill, about 
1855 locating in Raccoon township. They 
were members of the Reformed Presbyterian 
church. The subject's father was a Repub- 



3°° 



BIOGRAPHICAl \ \ I > REMINISCENT IUSTOUY 111-' 



lican. He and his wife were the parents of 
the following children: Ann Eliza, Eliza- 
beth, Nancy, Thomas J.. Joseph K., our sub- 
ject ; Annie K.. Jane, James A. and Ann- 
ette E. The subject's father devoted his 
life to farming. He died February 7, 1878, 
at the age of sixty-two years, and his wife 
died February 14, 1908. 

The early education of the subject of this 
sketch was obtained in the home schools. In 
1882 he bought his present farm of one hun- 
dred and twenty acres in Raccoon township. 
He carries on general farming and stock 
raising in a most successful manner, being a 
man of sound judgment and a hard worker. 
His farm is highly improved and very pro- 
ductive. He raises much good stock and his 
dwelling and other buildings are substantial 
and comfortable. 

Mr. McLaughlin was united in marriage 
in 1870 with Tirzah E. Morton, who was 
born in Raccoon township, the daughter of 
James and Mary Morton, a well known 
family in their neighborhood. Nine chil- 
dren have been horn to the subject and wife: 
Charles, who married Dorothea ! luff, has 
three children, Merlyn, Paul. Dorothea; 
James C. married Mora Bennetl and they 
have two children, Bennett and Collin C. ; 
Harry married Kate White; Stella married 
Willis R. Burgess and they have two chil- 
dren, Ilnfonl and Nellie; Hugh Archie mar- 
ried Lulu Kell; Joseph is a law student at 
Champaign, Illinois; John is a member of 
the family circle and is a teacher; Walter 
is also teaching and living at home; Elma 
live- with her parents. These children are 
bright and have received good educations. 



Mrs. McLaughlin is a member of the 
Presbyterian church and a faithful attend- 
ant upon the same. Mr. McLaughlin is a 
Democrat and is serving his second term as 
Supervisor, giving his constituents entire 
satisfaction in this capacity. 



DAVID HERSHBERGLR. 

The subject of this sketch was reared to 
the sturdy discipline of the homestead farm 
and during all the succeeding years of his 
life he has not wavered in his allegiance to 
the threat basic art of agriculture. To the 
public schools he is indebted for the early 
educational privileges that were afforded 
him. and he duly availed himself of the 
same, while he has effectually broadened his 
knowledge through active association with 
men and affairs in practical business life, 
lie has become the owner of a fine stock 
farm and devotes his attention to diversified 
agriculture with the discrimination, energy 
and constant watchfulness which inevitably 
make for definite success and prosperity. 
lie has spent practically all of his life in 
Marii »n ci iunl \ . 

David Hershberger, living two miles west 
of Salem. Illinois, was horn October 20, 
[865, in Crawford comity. Ohio, the son of 
Henry and Catherine (Snavely) Hershber- 
ger. the former being a native of Lancaster 
county. Pennsylvania, where he was born 
February 14. [824, and the latter of Leb- 
anon county, Pennsylvania, both having 
been reared in the Keystone state. They 
moved to Crawford countv. Ohio, where 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



30I 



they farmed for several years and then in 
1866 moved to Marion county, Illinois, set- 
tling in Salem township where Henry 
bought a large tract of land, becoming the 
owner of about two thousand acres in Ma- 
rion county. He improved this land and it 
became very valuable. He died August 29, 
1898. He is remembered as a thrifty 
farmer and a highly respected citizen. Both 
he and his wife were members of the Ger- 
man Baptist church, or Dunkards. Jacob 
Hershberger. grandfather of the subject, 
was also a native of Lancaster county, Penn- 
sylvania, and the great-grandfather of the 
subject. Henry Hershberger, was also a 
native of that place. Henry, the father of 
the subject, and Catharine Snavely were 
married February 10, 1848. They were 
very active in the church and Henry was a 
preacher for many years, having done a 
great amount of good in his work. He was 
a Republican in politics. He and his wife 
were the parents of nine children, named in 
order of birth, as follows : Jacob, a promi- 
nent farmer in Marion county; Samuel, de- 
ceased ; Mary, widow of John Schanafelt ; 
Elizabeth is the wife of W. J. Martin, a 
prominent farmer in Marion county; Anna 
is the wife of S. A. Schanafelt; Sarah is 
the wife of C. \V. Courson, who lives in 
Marion county ; John lives in Salem town- 
ship on a farm; Henry lives in Centralia, 
Illinois ; David, our subject, is the youngest 
child. The mother of the subject passed 
to her rest April 14, 1906. 

The subject remained at home on his 
father's farm until he married. He was one 



year old when he came to Marion county, 
he was married December 31, 1888, 
to Lida Dickens, the daughter of Eli- 
jah and Elizabeth (Tate) Dickens, both 
natives of Tennessee, but pioneer settlers of 
Marion county, Illinois, both now deceased. 
The subject's wife was born in this county. 
To Mr. and Mrs. Hershberger six children 
have been born as follows : Leland, de- 
ceased ; Salter E.. Lottie M., Loren D.. 
Henry R., and Wayne D. 

The subject and family are members of 
the German Baptist church in Salem town- 
ship, and the subject is a deacon in the 
church. He is a loyal Republican, having 
served his township as Highway Commis- 
sioner in a most acceptable manner. He 
lives on the old home farm, this together 
with his own farm constitutes two hundred 
and eighty acres. He is regarded as one 
of the leading farmers of Marion county, 
and always keeps excellent stock. He has 
a beautiful home which is elegantly fur- 
nished, and everything about the place is 
kept in first class order. 



MRS. JUDITH SINGER. 

Words of praise or periods of encomium 
could not clearly convey the personal char- 
acteristics of the noble woman of whom the 
biographer now essays to write in this con- 
nection, for only those who have had the 
good fortune to know her personally can 
see the true beautv of her character and in- 



102 



BI0GRAPHICA1 \M' REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



dividual traits, which have been the resul- 
tant, very largely, of a long life of devo- 
tion to duty, a life filled with good deeds 
to others and led along worthy plain-. Mrs. 

Singer lives in Tonti township. Marion 
county, where she successfully manages a 
fine landed estate, exercising rare sagacity 
of foresight and business acumen, which 
always result in definite success, and as a 
result of her commendable characteristics 
she enjoys the friendship of a large circle 
of acquaintances in this community. 

Mrs. Judith Singer was born in Berks 
county. Pennsylvania, June 24. 1838, the 
daughter of Peter and Lyda (Mildenber- 
ger) Beisel. The Beisel family came to 
America from Germany in an early day and 
settled in Pennsylvania, where they devel- 
oped farms and made comfortable homes. 
The parents of our subject always lived on 
a farm, and when her father died. Grand- 
father Beisel moved to Illinois, and the 
mother of the subject was married and came 
to Illinois in 1867, settling in Marion coun- 
ty. She was a good woman and her home 
life was calculated to foster right principles 
in her children. The father of the subject 
was a man of man) sterling traits of charac- 
ter, always bearing a good name. 

Judith Beisel was given every advantage 
sible by her parents, and while her early 
educational training was not extensive, she 
applied herself in a diligent manner and has 
since been an avid reader of the best gen- 
eral literature with the result that she is an 
entertaining and instructive talker, especial 
ly when she elucidates on the pioneer days 



and the aftermath of commercial develop- 
ment of this section of the country. 

Our subject was married to Oscar Singer 
January _', 1858, the ceremony having been 
performed in Northumberland county. Pen- 
sylvania. Mr. Singer was born in Germany 
on June 18. 1834. He was educated in the 
Fatherland, and came to the United States 
with his parents when eighteen years old, 
where he learned to be a mechanic of no 
mean ability. He worked at his trade in 
Centralia, Marion county, Illinois, being re- 
garded as one of the best men in the insti- 
tution where he was employed. He later 
moved to St. Louis, where he went into 
business on his own account, and in which 
city he was living when he was called from 
his earthly labors on November jo. 1882. 
His remains were interred in the cemetery 
at Salem. Illinois. He was a good business 
man. honest and industrious and made 
friends wherever he went. He was a public 
spirited man. being a loyal Republican in 
politics. 

Mrs. Singer purchased an eight)' acre 
farm in Tonti township, Marion county, in 
18S3, and moved thereto soon afterward, 
having resided there ever since. It is a splen- 
did place, well managed and highly im- 
proved in every respect, producing excellent 
crops from year to year and yielding a com- 
fortable income for the family. Mrs. 
Singer's home is one of the most attractive 

in the community. <! 1 stock of various 

kinds and a fine variety of poultry are to be 
seen about the place. 

Eight children were born to Mr. and Mrs 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



303 



Singer. Two boys and three girls are living 
at this writing, namely: Ida is the wife of 
Will W. Langridge, who lives in Terre 
Haute. Indiana ; Lillie is the wife of Lewis 
Parks, who lives on a farm; Ollie travels 
for an Indianapolis firm; Oscar married 
Maude Kline and lives on a farm; Rose L. 
is a bookkeeper at Salem, Illinois. All these 
children had careful training and all re- 
ceived a gfood common school education. 



JOHN H. GRAY. 

He to whom this sketch is dedicated is a 
member of one of the oldest and most hon- 
ored pioneer families of Marion county. Il- 
linois, and he has personally lived up to the 
full tension of the primitive days when was 
here initiated the march of civilization, so 
that there is particular interest attached to 
his career, while he stands today as one of 
the representative citizens of Tonti town- 
ship, for his life has been one of hard work 
which has resulted in the development of a 
good farm which he owns and which yields 
him a comfortable living. 

John H. Gray was born in this county 
January 14, 1839, anc ' believing that he 
could succeed as well here as anywhere de- 
cided to stay in his native community where 
he would have the added advantage of home 
associations. He is the son of James and 
Mariah E. (Nichols) Gray. Both the Gray 
and Nichols families were born in Tennes- 
see, being of that hardy pioneer stock that 



invades new and unbroken countries and 
clears the wilderness, developing farms from 
the virgin land. It was for such purpose 
that they came to Illinois. The parents of 
the subject came to Marion county in their 
youth and were married here, having first 
settled in this locality during the Black 
Hawk war. James D. Gray, our subject's 
father, moved to Tonti township in 1851. He 
was a man of many sterling qualities, a good 
neighbor and citizen, and, as already inti- 
mated, was industrious and a hard worker. 
He was also a minister of the Methodist 
church for many years. His family con- 
sisted of nine children, three boys and one 
girl living at this writing, 1908, all fairly 
well situated in reference to this world's af- 
fairs. 

John H. Gray, our subject, received a lim- 
ited schooling in his native community. 
However, he applied himself well and did the 
best he could under the circumstances. He 
remained at home, working on his father's 
place until he reached maturity. He was 
united in marriage in i860 to Susan Bal- 
lance, a member of a well known family. 
After a brief married life she passed to her 
rest in 1864. This union resulted in the 
birth of one child, which died in infancy. In 
1866 the subject was again married, his sec- 
ond wife being Rebecca A. Boring, who is 
still living, having proven to be a most faith- 
ful and worthy helpmeet and a woman of 
gentle disposition. She was born in 1848 
and attended the district schools in her 
maidenhood. 

Four children have been born to the sub- 



3°4 



[HOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



jecl and wife, three girls and one boy, 
whose names follow : Susan E., Mattie E., 
Etta and William A. They have received 
what schooling that is available in their 
community and are all interesting children 
with every prospect for future success. 

Mr. Gray in his political affiliations is a 
loyal Democrat ami has taken considerable 
interest in local political affairs, his support 
always being on the right side of all ques- 
tions affecting the public good. He has 
ably served as Highway Commissioner. 
giving entire satisfaction in this work, and 
he is known to all as a man of industry, 
honesty and integrity, thereby winning and 
retaining a large circle of friends. 



ALLEN COPE. 



For nearly half a century the subject of 
this review was a well known resident of 
Marion county. He was a man of many 
talents, having been a successful lawyer for 
M-veral year^ prior t" [86l, at which time 
he located upon a farm in Tonti township 
and turned his attention to agricultural pur- 
suits. He also became an enthusiastic stu- 
dent of horticulture and for man) years was 
recognized as one of the leading authorities 

Upon this subject in S lUtheiD Illinois, as well 

a practical demons! ratoi i if the same. I L 
was one of the first citizens of Marion 
county to engage in the fruit business upon 
an extensive and systematic scale, develop 
ing one of the largest and most successful 



fruit industries in the pioneer history of hor- 
ticultural pursuits in the county. 

Allen Cope was horn near New Water- 
ford. Columbiana county, Ohio. August 4, 
[827, where he resided until 1845. For nine 
years he resided at Salem. Ohio, where he 
was engaged in a mercantile business. In 
[854 he came to Fairfield. Illinois, where 
he studied and practiced law with Judge 
( harles Beecher. 

Owing to ill health he retired from the 
law in i860 and the following year located 
upon a farm in Tonti township, Marion 
county, where he developed one of the finest 
fruit farms in the county. It was here that 
he passed to his reward, October 24. 1007. 
at the age of eighty years. 

Mr. Cope's career as a horticulturist be- 
gan with his removal to Marion county. He 
planted forty acres of apples in the springs 
of [86l and 1863, a very large area indeed 
for that period. It is worthy of note, too. 
in this connection that he was one of the 
first to plant largely of the Ben Davis vari- 
ety. This venture proved successful and as 
this orchard began to fail he planted again 
from time to time, and indeed his labors 
ceased only with the coming of his long 
rest. Mr. Cope was an active member of 
the State Horticultural Society and of its 
subordinate society, the Southern Illinois 
Horticultural Society. 

I [e was a member of the Independent Or- 
der of Odd Fellows, and was born and 
reared a Quaker. 

( (riginally a Whig in politics and a strong 
abolitionist, it was but natural that he should 




A.LLEN COP! 




SARAH A. COPE. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



305 



become a Republican upon the birth of that 
party, and for many years he was an ardent 
supporter of its principles and an active 
worker in the ranks. In late years, how- 
ever, he espoused the cause of Democracy, 
believing that the latter party adhered more 
closely to the principles of Lincoln Repub- 
licanism. Having been a lawyer of more 
than ordinary ability and always a student 
and an observer, Mr. Cope wielded no small 
amount of influence in his community and 
his opinions upon the leading questions of 
the day were always treated with great re- 
spect. He was a man of many sterling 
qualities, successful in business and influen- 
tial in his community, and was also known 
as a public spirited man of the most scrupu- 
lously honest type. 

Mr. Cope was united in marriage at Sa- 
lem April 16, 1856, with Miss Sarah A. 
Ray, who was born near London, Madison 
county, Ohio. June 30. 1834, Mrs. Cope be- 
ing a daughter of Jesse and Helen (Warner) 
Ray. The Ray family was of English de- 
scent, the grandparents on the Ray side be- 
ing natives of Virginia, who later settled in 
Madison county. Ohio. The Warners were 
of Scotch-Irish descent, the great-grandfa- 
ther of Mrs. Cope having been born in Dub- 
lin. 

Jesse Ray. the father of Mrs. Cope, was 
one of the well known and highly honored 
pioneers of Marion county, having secured 
land from the government near Salem and 
locating thereon in 1839. He entered seven 
hundred acres of land in Tonti township, the 
present Cope home being a portion of the 
20 



original grant. Mr. Ray developed and im- 
proved a good farm and became one of the 
largest and most successful farmers and 
stock growers in the county. He moved 
from the farm to Salem in order to give his 
children an education, where he operated a 
hotel and also engaged in merchandising, in 
the meantime carrying on farming opera- 
tions. He finally returned to the farm, where 
he died August 27, 1859. Mr. Ray was one 
of those patriotic sons who participated in 
the Mexicon war, having enlisted in 1847. 
He was with his regiment until the close of 
hostilities and experienced many hardships 
and privations in the long and tedious march 
across the desert to Santa Fe, New Mexico, 
and back again, every mile of which was 
covered on foot. He was a man of much 
sterling worth and influence in his commu- 
nity and accomplished much for the improve- 
ment and development of his section of the 
county. 

Mrs. Cope was five years old when she 
came with her parents to Marion county. 
She attended the country schools and later 
went to Salem with the family, where she 
received a liberal education, having applied 
herself in a most assiduous manner to her 
studies. After her marriage with Mr. Cope, 
as above indicated, she resided in Fairfield, 
this state, for a few years, where her hus- 
band was engaged in the successful practice 
of his profession. Since locating on the 
farm in Tonti township in 1861, Mrs. Cope 
has continued to make this place her home, 
where her children have also been reared. 
Their names are as follows : Laura Isbell and 



3 o6 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OK 



Lenora are botli deceased; Walter Lincoln 

and William Abraham were twins, the lat- 
ter dying- in infancy. 

Walter L. Cope, the only surviving child, 
was burn May 2~ . 1864. He received a 
common school education and also attended 
the University of Illinois at Champaign for 
three years. June 6, 1888, he was married 
tn Miss Anna Yaughan. of Odin township, 
Marion county, and seven children have been 
born to them, as follows : Allen, Bessie, Lo- 
rin. Leila. I Inward and Margaret, all of 
whom are living. One child. Raymond, 
died in infancy. Walter Cope is a member 
of the Masonic Order at Salem and his wife 
affiliates with the Order of the Eastern Star 
at that place. 

The Cope home is one of the finest coun- 
try houses in Marion county, being commo- 
dious, comfortable and having modern im- 
provements and conveniences. The house is 
heated with hot air. A system of water 
works has been installed, together with 
baths, etc. The furnishings are up-to-date 
and tastefully arranged, and this beautiful 
In ime is presided over with rare grace and 
dignity by the Mesdames Cope, who often 
show their unstinted hospitality in enter- 
taining their numerous friends. 



HENRY C. BOTHWELL. 

This family name was familiar among 
the earlj settlers of three states and its 
members fieured Inth in Ohio and 1 1 1 i 1 n > i ^ 



during the pioneer period. James I loth- 
well, the founder, was a I'ennsylvanian. 
who migrated into Ohio at an early day, 
settled on a farm purchased from the gov- 
ernment, reared a family and ended his 
earthly career aDOUl [863. His Son, James 
K. Hothwell. was horn in Vinton county. 
Ohio, near McArthur, during the first quar- 
ter of the nineteenth century and removed 
to Illinois in 1840. settling at old Maysville, 
then the county seat of Clay, lie was a 
cabinet maker by trade, biU afterward en- 
gaged in the mercantile business. In [863, 
he removed his store to Clay City and con- 
tinued in business until 1NN7, when he re- 
tired to his farm of seventy acres, within 
the corporate limits of the town. At this 
homestead he passed peacefully away. May 
_'4. [899, in the eighty-first year of his age. 
He married Mary A. Brissenden, who was 
horn near Albion, in Edwards county. Il- 
linois, her parents being of English stock. 
She died July 16, 1898, at the age of sev- 
enty-seven years. This pioneer couple had 
seven children, of whom four are living, tin- 
complete list being as follows: Henry C, 
subject of this sketch: J. Homer, an attor- 
ney at Sedalia, Missouri; Florence; Camil- 
la, deceased, and William, who died when 
ten years old; James K.. in the loan and in- 
surance business at Seattle. Washington 
and Frank, deceased. 

Henry C. Bothwell, the oldest child, was 
born in old Maysville, April 11. [847. Ik- 
was reared in Clay City, where he attended 
the local schools. During the years E863- 
64, Ik- was a student at McKendree College 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



307 



in Lebanon, Illinois, afterwards attended 
Nelson's Commercial College at Cincinnati, 
Ohio, and then accepted a clerkship in his 
father's store. Holding this position and 
later as a partner, he spent the years from 
1865 to 1886 in this line of business. In 
the year last mentioned he became a can- 
didate on the Republican ticket for Treas- 
urer of the county, and was elected. In 
1894 he was re-elected to the same office. 
and served during the four following years. 
After retiring he devoted some time to the 
abstract business, continuing in this line 
\intil 1899, when he was made Chief Clerk 
of the Joliet Penitentiary, which position he 
held two and a half years. Returning to 
Clay City he formed a partnership undei 
the firm name of Bothwell & Gill, and this 
business engaged his attention until 1907. 
when he received the appointment of post 
master at Clay City. This was no new ex- 
perience, as he had previously served as 
postmaster for sixteen consecutive years, 
while in the mercantile business. Besides 
this, he had served as Tax Collector of Clay 
City township a number of times and w r as 
county collector for eight years. He was 
always popular and successful both in his 
business pursuits and official holdings, be- 
ing regarded as one of the prominent and 
influential men of the county. His fra- 
teral relations are extensive and conspicu- 
ous, especially in the Masonic Order. He 
is a member of Blue Lodge No. 488. at 
Clay City. Chapter at Flora. Commandery 
at Olney and the Shrine at Medina Temple 



in Chicago. He is also an Odd Fellow and 
a Woodman. 

In 1869 Mr. Bothwell married Mary C. 
Myers, who was born near Wilmington, 
Ohio. They lost four children in infancy, 
but have three living, to-wit : Lucv, E. L., 
who is practicing law at St. Joseph, Mis- 
souri, and Ada, a teacher in the Hillsboro 
(Illinois) high school. 



JAMES R. RICHARDSON. 

One of the sterling citizens of Marion 
county is he whose name initiates this para- 
graph, being engaged in farming in Tonti 
township. As a result of his industry, in- 
tegrity and genuine worth he is held in high 
esteem by the people of this vicinity, mainly 
as a result of his principal life work — the 
noble profession of teaching. 

James R. Richardson, the son of John and 
Sarah A. (Chandler) Richardson, was born 
in Williamson county. Illinois, at Bolton, 
December 19. 1841. The Richardson fam- 
ily are of Irish descent. John Richardson 
was born in Licking county. Ohio, and he 
was eight years old when his parents died. 
He was reared by a family named Decker, 
a farmer at Groveport, Ohio. He received 
his educational training in the public schools 
in the Buckeye state, which was somewhat 
limited, owing to the primitive condition of 
the public schools of that early day. He 
was a man of no extraordinary ability but 
he was a hard worker and succeeded in 



3 o8 



BIOGRAPHICAL VND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



making a comfortable living'. He came to 
Illinois about 1N3N. -cillmL; near Peoria, 
where lie remained a few years. He moved 
to St. ('lair county, Illinois, and thence to 
Williamson county and later he came to 
Marion county in 1853, buying a farm in 
Tonti township, where lie lived until his 
death in March, 1856. 

The Chandler family came from Penn- 
sylvania. The father of Sarah A., our sub- 
ject's mother, came to Ohio and engaged 
in fanning, hut not on an extensive scale. 
The mother of the subject was educated in 
the public schools of Franklin county. She 
was a woman of many estimable qualities. 
Eleven children were born to this couple, 
ten girls and one boy. Sarah A. was mar- 
ried to John Richardson about 1838, and 
she passed to her rest in 1N70. Mr. Rich- 
ardson was a large land owner in Marion 
county, this state, and he was regarded as 
a man of many sterling qualities. 

James R. Richardson, our subject, was 
the second child in a family of eight chil- 
dren. He remained under the parental roof 
tree until he was seventeen years old. He 
received his education in the district schools 
and later at Salem. lie was an ambitious 
lad from the start and outstripped most of 
his contemporaries. After finishing the 
public school course, he was not satisfied 
with the amount of text-book training he 
had received and consequently entered the 
State Normal School at Bloomington, Il- 
linois, where he made a splendid record for 
scholarship, and when- he graduated in the 
clas- of 1871, with high honors. 



After leaving school Mr. Richardson at 
once Ijegan to teach, first in the county 
schools, having soon become principal, and 
he was principal in several places. Becoming 
known as an able instructor, his services 
u-ere in great demand. He was principal 
of the schools at Woodson. Franklin, Stan- 
ford, Morton and Marseilles, all in Illinois, 
and he also taught a year in Kansas. He 
gave the greatest possible satisfaction as an 
instructor, being well grounded in the texts 
then included in the public school curricu- 
lums. and he was very popular with his pu- 
pils, owing to his friendliness and kindness. 
His teaching extended over a period of 
twenty-six years during which time his 
reputation extended not only to adjoining 
counties but he attracted the attention of 
the ablest educators of the state, receiving 
much laudable comment on his work in the 
school room. 

Mr. Richardson could not restrain the 
wave of patriotism that pervaded his whole 
being when, in the dark days of the sixties, 
our national integrity was threatened, and. 
believing that it was his duty to sever home 
ties, leave the school room and offer his ser- 
vices in defense of the flag, he accordingly 
enlisted in Company G, Twenty-first Il- 
linois Volunteer Infantry, ami was in the 
regiment assigned to Grant's army during 
the first part of the war. He was in the 
great battle of Stone River and the still 
bloodier conflict of Chickamauga, and many 
other smaller engagements. He was taken 
prisoner at Chickamauga, and was in prison 
at Richmond and Danville for six months. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



309 



He effected his escape, but was recaptured, 
and later exchanged. After performing 
gallant service for a period of three years, 
he returned home and entered the Univer- 
sity of Illinois in 1864, where he completed 
his education. 

Our subject's domestic life dates from 
December 25, 1876, when he was united in 
marriage with Sarah Martin Williams, a 
bighly educated woman, a native of Cass 
■county, Illinois, where she was born March 
10, 1856. She lived in Morgan county, this 
state until seventeen years old, when she en- 
tered the State University at Bloomington, 
and was a student there for several years, 
where she made a brilliant record for schol- 
arship. No children have been born to Mr. 
and Mrs. Richardson. Mrs. Richardson is 
a faithful member of the Christian church 
in Salem. Our subject is a Prohibitionist 
in his political affiliations. 



JOHN I. McCAWLEY. 

Few men on the threshold of the anniver- 
sary of the eightieth year of their age pos- 
sess the remarkable energy and activity of 
the subject of this sketch. John I. McCaw- 
ley, who is and has been for years, the lead- 
ing spirit in every big - enterprise that has 
been launched in Clay county, Illinois. He 
is not only the wealthiest man in that 
county, but has the distinction of being the 
•oldest native born citizen thereof. He is 



the son of parents who penetrated the un- 
broken wilderness of Illinois, when hidden 
dangers menaced their every step. In those 
early days the great forests of that state 
were filled with hostile Indians and fero- 
cious beasts. The subject experienced all of 
the hardships and privations that fell to the 
lot of the youth of those days, but he had 
inherited many of the rugged qualities of 
his courageous ancestors, and the great 
wealth that he possesses today is the reward 
of perseverance and industry. 

Mr. McCawley was born on the Little 
Wabash river, about two miles and a half 
from Clay City, Illinois. August 20, 1829, 
and has spent his entire life in Clay county. 
He is a son of John McCawley, a native of 
Kentucky, who came to Illinois in 1810. 
Soon after this pioneer had located in Clay 
county the Black Hawk war broke out, and 
he was warned by friendly Indians to leave 
the country, and realizing that to remain 
meant sure death he heeded the admonition. 
He started back to Kentucky with an escort 
of Indians who accompanied him as far as 
Vincennes. Indiana. In 18 16, when peace 
had been restored he returned to Clay coun- 
ty, and remained there until his death, in 
1854. He was one of the first settlers in 
this section of Illinois, having been bom 
in Jefferson county. Kentucky, December 
24, 1782. The grandfather of the subject 
was James McCawley, a native of Scotland, 
who afterwards moved to the north of Ire- 
land, where he married, and came to 
America, settling in Jefferson county. 






3'° 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMIMM K.\ T HISTORY OF 



The mother of the subject was Martha 
Lacey, who was torn in Jefferson county, 
Kentucky, February 4, 1791. She died Oc- 
tober 14. 1844, Her parents were of Irish 
extraction. 

Mr Mc( awley remained upon Ids fa- 
ther's farm until he was twenty years of 
age. and then traveled about the. country, 
spending three or four years in St. Louis, 
where he traded in stock. He finally en- 
gaged in the grocery business at Maysville, 
then the county seat of Clay county. He 
was thus engaged for fifteen years, having 
added dry goods to his stock, after starting. 
When the Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern, 
then the Ohio \- Mississippi Railroad, was 
finished, in 1856, he moved to Clay 
City, where he re-embarked in the mercan- 
tile business, and until 1898, he had one of 
the largest establishments in the city. Tt 
was at the close of that year that he retired 
from active business affairs, although his 
local interests are large and varied, and he 
gives them personal attention. 

On May 17. 185(1. the subject was mar- 
ried tn Maria L. Moore, who was born in 
Johnson county. Tennessee, February 9, 
1840. Seven children were the fruits of 
this union: Arthur II., born May 14. 1857. 
resides in Clay City; Sarah T... wife of 
John I l:. iinl. of < Hney, Illinois, born De- 
cember 7. [858; Martha Maria, wife of Dr. 
T. L. Leeds of Michigan City. Indiana; 
Mina Julia, wife of Oscar \V. Gill, of Chi- 
cago, born June 25, [865; John G.. bom 
March 5, 1871. lives m St. Louis, in the 



commission business; Mary Eliza, wife of 
Richard S. Rowland, lawyer of Olney, Il- 
linois, bom September 9, 1873; Lewis \Y.. 
born February 24, 1871. died August 17. 
1005. 

Mr. McCawley is a director in the Olney 
Bank, of Olney. Illinois. He has much 
money invested in real estate, and owns sev- 
eral large and substantial business blocks in 
Clay City. At one time he was the owner 
of three thousand acres of land, but he has 
disposed of the greater portion of this as it 
required too much of the time that he de- 
sired to devote to his other interests. His 
wealth is die result of his own thrift and 
enterprise. He was compelled to enter the 
battle of life at a very early age. receiving 
a limited education, The subject's father 
was blind for twenty years previous to his 
death, and dutiful son that he was, Mr. Mc- 
Cawley gave him the most tender attention. 
The subject belongs to both the Masons 
.and Odd Fellows' lodges, and in politics is 
a Democrat. He was the candidate of his 
party for State Senator ten years ago. but the 
district being strongly Republican, was de- 
feated with the rest of the ticket. Mr. Mc- 
Cawley was the first Baltimore & Ohio 
ticket agent at Clay City. 

The sub j eel is a man of commanding 
presence, intellectual features, with a kindly 
and genial disposition, and is held in high 
esteem by the people of Clay City, regard- 
less of class or condition. Few men have 
done as much toward the material progress 
of this community. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



311 



JOSEPH WILLARD WALTON, M. D. 

Indiana was decidedly a wild and wooly 
territory when Joseph Willard Walton in- 
vaded her borders in search of work and a 
career. Born in North Carolina in 1801, he 
left his native state in early manhood to cast 
his fortune with struggling pioneers cf the 
West. He was lucky in his location, as the 
county he chose was Washington and the 
land he settled was a part of the alluvial bot- 
toms which in later years gave fame to the 
White river valley. Land was cheap when 
this newcomer arrived from the South, and 
he was able to secure a full section, which at 
the present time is worth at least one hundred 
and fifty dollars an acre. It is the region of 
great corn crops, unsurpased in the produc- 
tion of fine melons, as well as all the cereals 
and varieties of fruit. The old pioneer pros- 
pered as a farmer for those days, but wealth 
was then out of the question for a tiller of the 
soil, owing to lack of market and transporta- 
tion facilities, which the prices of products 
as well as the land placed at a low level. This 
patriot survived until 1901, and had rounded 
out a full century of existence before the final 
summons. He left a son named Daniel R., 
who caught the roving fever in early man- 
hood and decided to move farther west. He 
formed a satisfactory location in Clay coun- 
ty. Illinois, where he farmed until his death. 
which occurred in Harter township, north 
of Nenia, in 1862. After reaching Illinois 
he met and married Ellen Golden, who 
though a native of the state, was of Indiana 
parentage. She survived her husband fifteen 



years and passed away in 1877. Their five 
children, all living, are Samuel, who resides 
on grandfather Golden's place, northwest 01 
Flora ; Mrs. Maria Abel, of Santa Rosa, 
California ; Joseph W., subject of this sketch, 
Marlow Walton, of North Dakota ; Thomas 
J. Walton, of Eagle Grove, Iowa. 

Joseph Willard Walton, third in order of 
birth in the above list of children, was born 
in Clay county, Illinois, July 5. 1869. As 
he was only seven years old when he lost his 
father, the struggle of this boy towards suc- 
cess was rendered unusually difficult. He 
was, however, a bright and courageous boy, 
obedient to his uncle, with whom he lived 
near Flora, and doing cheerfully the chores 
that fell to him, while also proving a diligent 
student in the district schools. After die 
usual elementary course, he entered as a pupil 
in Orchard City College at Flora, and later 
took a course in Austin College at Effing- 
ham. For ten years subsequent to leaving col- 
lege, he taught school in his native county. 
He had, however, always been ambitious to 
become a physician, and in 1902 entered the 
Medical Department of St. Louis Univer- 
sity, from which he was graduated in the 
class of May, 1906. On July, of the same 
year he hung out his shingle in Clay City and 
has since diligently prosecuted his profession. 
Dr. Walton belongs to the American, State 
and Clay County Medical societies and is 
the official examiner for the New York Life, 
Prudential, Springfield, Woodmen, Royal 
Neighbors and other insurance orders. His 
fraternal connections are with the Odd Fel- 
lows. Woodmen and Ben Hur societies. He 



3*' 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



has a commodious office well equipped with 

all the modern appliances suitable for his 
business. The di icfc ix has made his own \\a\ 
from orphanage and poverty to a command- 
ing and prosperous condition in life. 

In [893, Dr. Walton married Miss Josie 
Nash, a native of Clay county, and they have 
had three children. Violet Evelyn, Daph- 
ne) Ruth, and Charles Willard. deceased. 
The parent^ are members of the Christian 
church. 



ISHAM E. HODGES. 

Among the sterling Tennesseans who 
have settled in Marion county since the pio- 
neer days, none have shown more worthy 
traits of character or been more active in 
the development of the county than the gen- 
tleman whose biography we herewith pre- 
sent. Mr. Hodges is the owner of a fine 
farm in Raccoon township which has been 
brought from a wild state to one of the 
best in the locality through his skillful 
management. 

Isham E. Hodges was born in Sumner 
county, Tennessee, July 30, 1840, the son 
of Marcus A. and Elizabeth (Marcum) 
Hodges, the former a native of Sumner 
county, Tennessee, where he grew up, made 
a farmer and where he died, and the latter a 
native of Abbyville Court House, Virginia, 
who died in .Montgomery county, Tennessee. 
They were members of the Christian church. 
( >ur subject was their only child. His 
father married a second time, his last wife 



being Susan Hodges, of Sumner county, 
Tennessee. She is still living there on the 
old place. Nine children were born to the 
subject's father by his second union. He 
was a soldier in the Indian war in Florida in 
1836, being a prisoner of that struggle. 
Our subject's great-grandfathers on both 
sides served in the Revolutionary war, being 
in General Starke's and General Green's 
command. 

Isbam E. Hodges had little opportunity to 
attend school. However, he obtained some 
education in subscription schools of the early 
days. He left home when seventeen years 
of age and came to Marion county, Illinois, 
where he worked out and carried the mail 
from Fairfield to Salem. He also farmed 
in Salem and Raccoon townships. On Oc- 
tober 31. 1865, choosing as a life partner 
Frances Hays, of Raccoon township, the 
daughter of Elijah M. Hays, whose sketch 
appears in full on another page of this work. 
Eleven children have been born, eight of 
whom are living: Effie, deceased, married 
Harvey England, who lives in St. Louis, 
Missouri. She was born August 23, 1866, 
and died August 8, 1883. Iva E., the sec- 
ond child, was born October 28. 1867, mar- 
ried Harvey Mercer: they live in Sadora. 
Arkansas, and are the parents of five chil- 
dren. Clinton. Sylvia. Stewart, Howard and 
Opal. Clara 1!., the third child, was born 
March ii, 1869, died February 8, 1892, 
married Charles Anderson, of Chicago, Illi- 
nois: John D., who was born March 21, 
1873, first married Lucy White and second 
l.vdia Kell, having had two children by his 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



313 



first wife, Clayton and Robert, and one child 
by his second wife, named Donald. He has 
been postal clerk for several years on the Chi- 
cago & Eastern Illinois Railroad. .He was 
first on the Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern 
Railroad, his first run being between Mc- 
Leansboro and Shawneetown, Illinois. He 
runs between Marion and Villa Grove. Ralph 
Waldo, the fifth child, was born June 6, 
1874, and died October 25, 1875 ; Mark 
Ainsly was born January 2, 1877, married 
Indiana Stonecipher, and they have four 
•children, Delta, Isham, Charles and Mary ; 
Grace was born September 13, 1878, mar- 
ried Levi Bigham, a farmer in Raccoon 
township; Mabel J. was born August 28, 
1880, married Henry F. March, station 
agent at Cartter. Illinois, on the Chicago & 
Eastern Illinois Railroad, and they are the 
parents of three children, Everett, Franklin 
and Marie ; Minnie Blanche, born September 
26. 1882, married Elisha Harmon, * car- 
penter of Raccoon township ; Blaine E., born 
November 8, 1884, who married Clara 
Pitts, is a farmer in Raccoon township ; 
Dwight E., born October 28, 1886, is an 
operator on the Chicago, Burlington & 
Ouincy Railroad at Herrin, Illinois, married 
Nellie Dukes, and they have one child, Clara. 

The subject's children have been educated 
in the home schools, John D. and Iva went 
to Carbondale, and Blaine attended the agri- 
cultural department of the University of 
Missouri at Columbia. 

In 1865, after the subject of this sketch 
was married, he rented land in Raccoon 
township. After farming here for a while 



he went to Idaho, also the state of Wash- 
ington, also the Shoshone agency and the 
Red Cloud agency in Wyoming. He was 
in the West from 1869 to 1871. He was a 
clerk and did office work most of the time. 
After 1 87 1 he worked in the United States 
Pension Agency at Salem, Illinois, under 
Gen. J. S. Martin, from March 4, 1872, to 
March 4, 1873, having given entire satisfac- 
tion in this capacity, after which he entered 
the railway mail service on the Baltimore & 
Ohio Southwestern Railroad and run be- 
tween Cincinnati and St. Louis for three 
years, when he was transferred to the Illinois 
Central Railroad, his run being between 
Cairo and Centralia for three years, and on 
the northern division from Centralia to Chi- 
cago until April 20, 1889. During this time 
he lived in Centralia, from 1878 to 1880. 
In 1869 he bought the farm he now lives 
on in Raccoon township. In 1880 he built 
his fine brick house and made all the other 
improvements on the place which is one 
of the choice farms of this locality. It con- 
sists of one hundred and forty acres in sec- 
tions 24 and 25, Raccoon township. One 
hundred and twenty-five acres are under 
a high state of cultivation. He has a very 
valuable orchard of one thousand apple 
trees, three hundred peach trees as well as 
pears, cherries and small fruits. He also 
raises much good stock, horses, mules and 
cattle and fine Chester White hogs. His 
farm is also well stocked with fine chickens, 
White Wyandotte and Rhode Island Red 
chickens. 

Mr. Hodges was one of the patriotic sons 



314 



B RAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



of the North who fought to preserve the 
Union during the dark days of the sixties, 
having enlisted July 4. 1S01, in Company 
G. Twenty-second Illinois Volunteer In- 
fantry, under Gapt. J. S. Jackson and Col. 
Henry Dougherty, having been mustered in 
at Casseyville, Illinois. He and his com- 
pany were sent to Birds Point, Missouri, 
and was in the engagement November 7, 
1861, at Belmont. Missouri. They joined 
< ieneral Pope and was at the surrender of 
Tiptonville, Tennessee, where they cap- 
tured about seven thousand prisoners. They 
then went down the Mississippi river to Ft. 
Pillow and after the battle of Ft. Donelson 
and Pittsburg Landing, they went up 
the Tennessee river and were at the siege of 
Corinth, and, after several skirmishes, 
marched to Nashville, Tennessee, and oc- 
cupied that city until December 26, 1862. 
Our subject was in General Sheridan's di- 
vision, McCook's corps, (ieneral Rosecrans 
commanding. They were in the marches and 
battles from Nashville to Murphysboro, 
Tullahoma, Bridgeport, Alabama, and 
Chickamauga, Georgia, being wounded in 
the latter battle September 20, 1863, where 
he was shol in the thigh and sent to the field 
hospital at Crawfish Springs, where all the 
wounded men captured were paroled next 
day and sent to Nashville and Louisville, 
later to Quincy, Illinois, and then to Benton 
Barracks. Then the subject was on detail 
duty and in the commander's office until 
July 1. [864, and he was sent to Springfield, 
Illinois, and mustered out July 7. [864. 
Mr. Hodges is a loyal Populist. He has 



been Su|>ervisor of his township for two 
years, has also been School Director and 

held minor offices. 



ISRAEL MILLS. 



The streams of emigration, pouring from 
Pennsylvania and Virginia in the pioneer 
period usually united in Ohio, the first of the 
western states to be reached. Marriages often 
resulted between the descendants of the 
northern and southern branches and the in- 
fusion cf blood often produced tine types for 
future citizenship. We find this working nit 
well in the Mills family which, on the fa- 
ther's side, came from the state <ii" Pennsyl- 
vania, and on the mother's side boasted of 
origin in the Old Dominion state. It was far 
hack in the nineteenth century that Thomas 
Mills, with his wife, Hannah, crossed the 
Alleghanies from one of the counties of 
Pennsylvania. To the same locality in ( )hio 
where he settled came Hugh and Mary 
Downing from the western part of Virginia, 
Jonathan Mills, a son of the first menti< tied 
couple, eventually found a wife in the 
person of Sarah Downing, both the con- 
tracting parties being natives of Qhio. 
The former, who was a fanner, passed 
away in the early seventies, but his 
wife survived until [894, being eigh- 
ty-two years "Id at the time of her death. 
This couple became the parents of twelve 
children, the ^i\ still living being as follow - : 
Hugh, a resident of Clay Cit) township; 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



3 r 5 



Thomas, a resident of Oklahoma; Israel, the 
subject of this sketch ; James D., of Carroll 
county, Ohio; Josephine Fry, of Tuscarawas 
county, Ohio ; and William, of Tobacco 
Plains, Washington. 

Israel Mills, who was the sixth in this 
iarge family, was born in Tuscarawas coun- 
ty, Ohio, April 18, 1843. He assisted his 
father on the farm until June, 1862, when he 
enlisted in Company K, Eighty-seventh 
Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and 
served until taken prisoner at Harper's Fer- 
ry in September of that year. Being speed- 
ily paroled and discharged on October 3rd, 
he took a rest until June 29, 1863, when he 
re-enlisted in Company B, One Hundred 
and Twenty-ninth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer 
Infantry, with which he served until the ex- 
piration of his term, March 5, 1864. For 
the third time, he took up his musket as a 
private in Company H, One Hundred and 
Seventy-Eighth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer 
Infantry, with which he served until the close 
of the war and was honorably discharged 
June 29, 1865. In October of that year, he 
came to Clay City, where he has since re- 
sided for forty-three consecutive years. He 
settled at first one mile south of town and 
engaged in farming, paying particular at- 
tention to the breeding of stock, in which line 
he acquired a high reputation. With the ex- 
ception of seven years spent in merchandis- 
ing, Mr. Mills has devoted practically all his 
time to breeding, handling and dealing in 
stock, with a preference for the fine grades 
m all varieties. Though he has other and 
varied interests, his heart has been set upon 



and his attention always turned to the noble 
animals that have brought wealth and fame 
to Illinois. He is an extensive land owner, 
his possessions in this line lying in Clay City 
and Standford townships. At present he 
owns five hundred and seventy-five acres, 
though at one time he was proprietor of 
twice that amount. He is a thorough-going, 
practical and scientific farmer, well informed 
in everything relating to advanced agricul- 
ture, and an enthusiast in all movements to 
educate and improve conditions in the farm- 
ing industry. Appreciation of his qualifica- 
tions was shown by Governors Tanner, 
Yates and Deneen, when they appointed him 
delegate during six years to the Farmers' 
National Congress. He has held the position 
of director from his Congressional district 
for the State Farmers' Institute. He is an 
able and forceful speaker in the debates at 
county, state and national farmers' institutes. 
It may be said in short, that there is not \ 
man in Clay county whose business judg- 
ment is more highly valued than that of 
Israel Mills. A man of the loftiest integrity 
and most benevolent impulses, he has been an 
honor and a treasure to his adopted county. 
Mr. Mills is president of the Clay City 
Banking Company, and for twenty years has 
held the same position with the Clay City 
Loan and Homestead Association. He is 
also president of the Opera House Company 
and president of the Clay County Farmers' 
Institute. He has been frequently honored 
with positions of trust in his township, serv- 
ing as a member of the board of supervisi irs, 
school trustees and as collector. He has 



3i6 



I'.Iook Willi \l. AND REMINISCENT HISTORY 01 



never desired office and never had a lawsuit 
during all the years of his active business 
life. He is a director of the Farmers' and 
Merchants' Bank at Louisville, Illinois. As 

president of the Clay City hank, he insisted 
during the panic of 1907. that all depositors 
should be paid on presentation of their 
checks, lie is a Mason, and Eastern Star 
and a member of the ( irand Array of the Re- 
public. 

Septemher 10. 1X67. Mr. Mills married 
Elizabeth L.. daughter of Thomas and Din- 
iah E. (Whitman) Bog-well, very early set- 
tlers of Clay county. The children from 
this union were: Edna M.. horn July 2, 
1870, died April 2. 1905. Edna married 
Jabez Edwin Coggan. April _><;. 1891. Ont 
son survives her. Kenneth M.. born June 
23, 1896; James I',., born October 22, 1881, 
married to Annettic Crackles December 28, 
1904. One child, a daughter, Ethel, was 
horn to them Decembers, [906. Mis. Mills 
is a member of the Christian church and the 
entire family enjoy the highesl social consid- 
eration and popularity. 



(iKOKCF- \Y. HILTIBIDAL. 

The subject of this biographical review 
has vvell earned the title to he addressed as 
one of the progressive, self-made men of 
Marion county, being the owner of a very 
valuable landed estate in Raccoon township, 
where his labors have benefited alike him- 
self and those with whom he has come in 
conl 



George \Y. Hiltibidal was horn in Grand 
Prairie township, Jefferson county. Illinois. 
March 15, 1867. the son of George and 
Elizabeth Bradford, both natives of Indiana. 
They moved to Marion county, Illinois, and 
finally located in Raccoon township. After 
building a dwelling house and making ex- 
tensive improvements on his farm here he 
moved to Grand Prairie. Jefferson county, 
where he died in 1869, on a farm which he 
had improved, and where his wife also died 
in 1876. He was a strong Republican and 
he and his wife were members of the Chris- 
tian church. They were the parents of five 
children, namely: Mary is living in Wash- 
ington county, this state, having married 
Neil Kingsley : Ella, who married Robert 
Birge, lives at W'alnut Hill, this county ; 
John died young; Sarah, who married 
James Sprouse, lives in Jefferson county, 
Illinois; George William, our subject, was 
the youngest child. 

The subject's mother died when he was 
nine years old. He had not l>een to school 
up to that time. He then went to live with 
his uncle, George Bundy, in Raccoon town- 
ship, with whom he remained for eleven 
years. He then located on his present farm 
in Raccoon township, section 28, having 
secured forty-five acres known as the May 
place. It had an old log house and stable 
on it. The subject has been a hard worker 
and a good manager and he built his present 
fine substantial and modern home in \<><>~. 
and his excellent barn in [906, and he has 
made all the extensive improvements on the 
place. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



3 J 7 



Mr. Hiltibidal was united in marriage 
April 5, 1888, to Josie Heyduck, the daugh- 
ter of Jacob and Phillimina Heyduck, na- 
tives of Germany, having lived in the River 
Rhine country. They came to America and 
secured wild land in Raccoon township, 
which they developed and on which they 
made a good home where they lived until 
1903, when Mr. Heyduck retired and moved 
to Centralia. The subject's wife was born 
in Raccoon township, this county. Mrs. 
Heyduck died in 1890. Ten children were 
born to them as follows : Lizzie, who lives 
in Decatur, Illinois; Ricca is deceased; Lucy 
is deceased; Kate lives at Odin, Illinois; 
Josie, wife of our subject ; John is deceased, 
Emma lives on the old place in Raccoon 
township ; Henry lives at Centralia ; Ben- 
nie lives in Centralia ; Laura also lives in 
Centralia. 

Five children have been born to the sub- 
ject and wife as follows : George, Gracie, 
Esther, Bertha, Julius. The subject carries 
on a general farming business with great 
success. He is considered an excellent judge 
of live stock and raises some good horses. 
He has always been a farmer, but for many 
years has worked at the carpenter's trade. 
He has put up all his own buildings and 
done all his own work. He is regarded as 
an excellent carpenter and his services are 
frequently sought by those desiring to build. 

Our subject has faithfully served as a 
member of the local school board for six 
years. He is a Republican in his political 
affiliations. He is a member of the Farm- 
ers' Educational Co-Operative union at Bun- 



dvville, Illinois. He has gained his success 
not through the assistance of relatives or 
friends, but bv his own efforts. 



JOHN PETER XANDER. 

Scientific methods of farming dissem- 
inated through the medium of the agricul- 
tural schools throughout the country have 
come as a great blessing to those pursuing 
agricultural callings. Yet the fanners in 
our younger days had no such advantages. 
They had tc depend upon their own judg- 
ment, their own foresightedness, their own 
intuition, as it were, to overcome many a 
perplexing agricultural problem. Their 
success was more often than not almost phe- 
nomenal : and we can pardon them if they 
look askance upon our newer methods. The 
subject of the present sketch began his 
farming career (on his own land) about the 
Civil war period, and his well cultivated 
land today shows that his efforts did not 
go unrewarded. 

John P. Xander, of Richland county, 
Claremont township, was born May 26, 
1833, in Lehigh county, Pennsylvania. He 
was the son of Joseph and Mary (Dorney) 
Xander, natives of that state, who in the 
year 1834. took a boat on the Ohio river 
from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, to Evans- 
ville, Indiana, enroute to Illinois. They 
brought with them on the boat their horses, 
wagons and all belongings. During the 
voyage one of the deck hands happened to 



318 



HIOCUAl'llKAI. AND REMINISCENT IIIMnKV OF 



throw one of their wagon wheels overboard 
;md the voyage had to be interrupted to 
fish it out. They landed m Kvunsville. In- 
diana. April 28, [834, when they crossed 
the Wabash river on the ferry boal and set 
forth on a journey by land settled in Wabash 
ci unity. Illinois. Mrs. Xander's parents 
also came along at the same time and set- 
tled in Illinois. Grandfather Dofney took 
a farm there at that time and Joseph Xan- 
der and his wife went to live with them for 
several years. Later they took up eighty 
acres of government laud, paying one dol- 
lar and twenty-five cents an acre for it in 
Wabash county, and on this place they con- 
tinued to live until their death. John P. 
Xander's mother died about five years be- 
fore his father. He remained with his par- 
ents assisting them on their farm until his 
twentv-sixth year when he started on his 
own account. At the age of thirty years he 
married Mary Retebenner on August 23, 
1863. Fie then rented a farm in Wabash 
county, where he remained about seven 
years, at the end of which period he bought 
a farm of one hundred and twenty acres in 
Garemont township. Richland county, and 
moved onto same where he remained for 
thirty years, again removing to the home 
he now occupies. Ills farm life was all the 
time, marked with industriousness and his 
improvements did much to enhance the 
value of the land he settled on. lie built 
every portion of the substantial house he 
now lives in. 

fohn I'. Xander's wife was born Novem- 
ber t8, [839, in Frederick county, Mary- 



land. She was the daughter of George 
and Lydia Retebenner, her mother's own 
name being Kverheart, who were natives of 
Pennsylvania. She was the fourth of nine 
children. Her parents came to Illinois in 
the year 1 856. coming by train over the 
early railroad, where they settled in Wa- 
bash county, Mi's Xander then being seven- 
teen years of age. She remained with her 
parents on their farm until the time of her 
marriage. Her mother died at the age of 
sixty and her father survived about five 
years, dying at the age of eighty-five. Roth 
died on the farm they occupied and were 
buried in the Lutheran cemetery in Wa- 
bash county, where the parents of John 
Xander are also interred. 

John P. Xander's married life has been 
blessed with seven children, one of whom 
died in infancy. In the order of birth his 
children are: Ida A., who is the wife of 
Peter Crum. and resides on her husband's 
farm in German township: Furman. who 
has married, and lives at home with his par- 
ents; William H. is married and resides 
near Altus. Oklahoma, on a farm. Eva. 
the wife of George Rragunier. who resides 
in Emporia, Kansas. James E. is married 
and lives in Lincoln. Illinois. John IT. is 
single and resides in Ogden. Utah, where 
he is employed by a large meat packing 
concern. 

At the time of the Civil war John P. 
Xander was drafted for service in 1863, 
having responded to the call to arms, I flit 
upon arriving in Cairo. Illinois, he was re- 
turned home on account of a sufficient 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



3 r 9 



number of soldiers having already been ob- 
tained. 

In his youth and early life, John P. Xan- 
der attended the subscription schools in 
Wabash county, where he imbibed all the 
knowledge that institution could give him. 
His school days were at the period of the 
elementary spellers, first, second and third ; 
and McGuffey's readers. Arithmetics were 
also in use in the log school-house. The 
old hewn planks, pin supported, W'ere the 
seats, and the desks along the wall were of 
the same quality. 

In politics the subject of this sketch is 
and has been a Democrat and a loyal sup- 
porter of W. J. Bryan. The first Presiden- 
tial candidate for whom -he exercised his 
right as a voter was James Polk. In for- 
mer days he took a man's part in the poli- 
tics of the township and county. He was 
for three terms Township Assessor in 
Claremont township. 

John P. Xander, his wife and the mem- 
bers of his family, belong to the English 
Lutheran church. He has been very active 
himself in church circles, holding both the 
office of deacon and elder, and is a man 
looked up to by all of his co-religionists. 

The subject of this sketch is now living 
quietly upon his farm of eighty acres which 
through his industry and zeal has been 
brought to its present state of cultivation. 
His health, which has always been of a 
rugged character, has failed somewhat 
within the past year and he is -consequentlv 
a sufferer to some extent. He has always 
been unsparing in his hardworking efforts 



to improve his land, and as a result his 
labors have marked his frame. Aside from 
his ill health, his home life is extremely 
happy. 



THOMAS B. NEAL. 



The gentleman whose name heads this re- 
view is one of the leading farmers in his 
community in Marion county, and this 
volume would be incomplete w'ere there fail- 
ure to make mention of him and the enter- 
prise with which he is identified. Tireless 
energy and honesty of purpose are the chief 
characteristics of the man. 

Thomas B. Neal, a native of Marion 
county, Illinois, was born October 31, 1830, 
the son of Thomas and Rossanna (Walters) 
Neal. The former came to this county from 
Kentucky about 1828 and located near 
Owens Hill where he spent the remainder of 
his life, having made a comfortable living 
from his farming pursuits, being a hard 
worker and a man of highest integrity. The 
Walters people were born in Georgia and 
came from that state to this county. The 
father and mother of our subject were mar- 
ried in Kentucky. 

Thomas B. Neal, our subject, was reared 
on a farm which he helped develop from 
the wild country into which the father had 
moved, but this was an industrious family 
and soon a good and productive farm was 
developed. His early schooling was some- 
what limited owing to the fact that it was 
necessary for him to work on the farm and 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



schools were of the most primitive type in 
those days, taught only a few months out 
of each year. Our subject showed his 
loyalty to the "old flag that has never 
touched the ground" during the forties 
when this country was in war with Mexico. 
Being unable to restrain his patriotism when 
he heard the call fur troops to fight the 
descendants of the Montezumas, and he is 
today one of the few highly honored sur- 
vivors of that famous conflict in this coun- 
trv. and it is indeed a privilege to meet and 
to show proper courtesy to such heroes. 
Mr. Neal enlisted in Company C, First Illi- 
nois Volunteer Regiment, and served with 
marked distinction in the same throughout 
the war. He is now remembered by his 
government with a pension of twenty dol- 
lars per month, as the result of his valor in 
this war. The only other living Mexican 
war veteran in Marion county besides our 
subject is William Bundy. 

After his experience in the army, Mr. 
Xeal returned home and was married in 
185 1 to Julia H. Chandler, whose people 
were from Wilson county, Tennessee. To 
this union eight children were born, all de- 
ceased but four. Mr. Neal's first wife passed 
away May 2. 1898. and he was married 
again April 10. 1900. to Manda S. Cozad. 
No children have been born to this union. 
The names of the subject's children by his 
first wife follow: Alexander, deceased; 
John A., deceased; Etta, Delia, Ruse A., de- 
ed ; Cora, Charley and Ben, deceased. 

Our subject has six grandchildren and six 
great-grandchildren, of whom he is justly 



proud. Mr. Xeal owns a fine farm of forty 
acres m Tonti township, which he has de- 
veloped to a high state and which has yield- 
ed him a comfortable living from year 
to year and enabled him to lay up a compe 
tency for his old age. This place shows that 
a man of good judgment has had its man- 
agement in hand, and while he is now in the 
evening of life he is able to still successfully 
manage his affairs. He lives in section 9 
of Tonti township in a substantial farm 
house which is surrounded by convenient 
outbuildings, and his farm is properly 
stocked with various kinds of live stock and 
poultry. He delights to see the advance- 
ment of his community and county, and he 
formerly took an active part in the affairs 
of the Democratic party. 



LANDOX M. BOSTWICK. 

It is always pleasant and profitable to 
contemplate the career of a man who has 
made a success of life and won the honor 
and respect of his fellow citizens. Such is 
the record, briefly stated, of the well known 
and progressive gentleman whose name 
forms the caption of this article, than whom 
a more whole-souled or popular man it 
would be difficult to find in the business cir- 
cles within the limits of Marion county, 
where he has long maintained his home and 
whose interests he has ever had at heart, for 
in all the relations of life he has proven true 
to every trust reposed in him and few cil 
nils of the county are worthier of the high 









<.' v» 




' M*' 




u JL 


If 




MY M' 






RESIDENCE I >F L. M. B< (STWICK. 
Centralia, [llinois. 




L. M. BOSTWICK. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



3 21 



esteem which they enjoy than Mr. Bost- 
wick. who is known as one of the leading 
lumbermen of this part of the state. 

The subject of this review is descended 
from a long line of sturdy ancestors, the 
earliest generations being easily traced to 
the settlement of the Bostwick family at 
Stratford, Connecticut, prior to 1650. John 
Bostwick. the subject's great-great-great- 
great-grandfather, was born at Stratford, 
Connecticut, May 4, 1667, and he became 
Deputy to the General Court of Connecticut, 
serving during twenty-one sessions, from 
September, 1725, to October, 1740, and he 
served in the army as lieutenant and major. 
The great-great-great-grandfather of the 
subject, Ebenezer Bostwick, was born in 
1693, and he was captain of the First Com- 
pany or train band, of Danbury, Connecti- 
cut, in October, 1743. Edmond Bostwick, 
the great-great-grandfather of our subject, 
was born September 15, 1732, and died Feb- 
ruary 2, 1826. The subject's great-grand- 
father, Ebenezer Bostwick, was born June 
22. 1753, and died March 16. 1S40. He 
had an excellent war record, like his an- 
cestors, having been an orderly sergeant in 
the Revolutionary army and he was a pen- 
sioner until his death. This family remained 
in the state of Connecticut through many 
generations and the subject's grandfather, 
Andrew Bostwick, was born at New Mil- 
ford, that state, November 3. 1778, but he 
migrated to the West and died at Berrien 
Springs, Michigan, October 21. 1838. The 
father of our subject was a merchant at 
Niles, Michigan, his store having been the 
21 



first brick building in that town. At Pres- 
ident Lincoln's call for volunteers he en- 
listed as a private in Company E, Twelfth 
Michigan Volunteer Infantry, and he was 
made a prisoner of war at the battle of 
Shiloh and served nine months in Ander- 
sonville and Libby prisons. After his re- 
lease he received several promotions and 
finally was made captain of the company, 
serving as such in a very creditable manner 
until the close of the war. He died at Niles, 
Michigan, in the year 1876, when fifty-six 
years old, and was given a military and 
Masonic funeral, which was very largely 
attended. 

Among the subject's ancestors on the ma- 
ternal side of the family was Rev. Peter 
Pruden, one of the founders of the colony 
at Milford, Connecticut, and in 1639 the 
founder of the First Church of Christ. 
When the two hundred and fiftieth anni- 
versary of Milford was celebrated, a memo- 
rial window was placed in the church in 
honor of his memory. There is also in the 
memorial bridge a stone in his memory, 
bearing the text of his first sermon, "The 
voice of one crying in the wilderness." Of 
him the noted Cotton Mather says, "His 
death was felt by the colony as the fall of 
a pillar which made the whole fabric to 
shake." Another distinguished ancestor of 
the subject's mother was Capt. Thomas- 
Willets, the first Mayor of the city of New- 
York. 

Landon M. Bostwick, one of the fore- 
most business men of Centralia, Illinois, 
was born December 1, 1862. He received 



322 



DIOGRAPHICAL ami REMINISCENT BISTORT 0T 



his early education in the public schools and 
afterward was instructed in the higher 
branches by a private tutor, the course of 
stud} unhiding some travel. The death of 
the subject's father made it necessary for 
him to give up study and seek means of 
self-support, which he found in the locomo- 
tive department of the Michigan Central 
Railroad, becoming an engineer at the early 
age of nineteen years. While serving in the 
capacity of fireman and engineer, he took 
a course in mechanical mathematics and 
draughting, and otherwise fitted himself for 
work other than locomotive engineering. 
At the age of twenty-tour he designed and 
built the machinery plant at the Michigan 
State prison at Jackson, Michigan, which, 
at this writing, twenty-two years after com- 
pletion, is still in active service with prac- 
tically no alteration or change. 

After acting as manager of this plant for 
one year, Mr. Bostwick was offered, and 
accepted, a position as engineer on the 
Panama Canal, when it was owned by the 
French government, and was being con- 
structed by the famous French engineer De 
Lesseps ; but by a curious turn of fortune's 
wheel. Mr. Bostwick gave Up the Panama 
( anal project, while enroute and also the 
mechanical line of business in which he had 
so successfully launched. At this time the 
South was just beginning to be called upon 
to take the place of the North in supplying 
lumber, and Mr. Bostwick grasped an op- 
portunity to become a lumberman, making 
his initial beginning in the backwoods of 
Howell county, Missouri. The pay "was 
poor and the work was hard, but opportu- 



nity had knocked at the door and the sum- 
mons were willingly and gladly answered. 

After working up through every depart- 
ment to the position of manager and finally 
stockholder in some of the best mills of the 
South, he has no regrets over the humble 
beginning in the backwoods of Missouri. 

The Bostwick Lumber Company of Cen 
teralia. Illinois, is a corporation of which our 
subject is president and the heaviest stock- 
holder. He knows the lumber business thor- 
oughly and always gives his customers a 
fair deal, consequently his trade, which has 
steadily grown, is now very extensive. 

Landon M. Bostwick was happily married 
February 3, 1892, to Frances Pease, a na- 
tive of Wilson, Xew York, the daughter of 
A. Douglas and Abigail Pease. One of her 
ancestors received a grant of land from 
King George, this family having been 
originally from England. The subject and 
wife are the parents of three children, name- 
ly: Willard D., born January 26, 1893, and 
who is at this writing attending the public 
schools; Dorothy was born November 17, 
1900; the date- of Allen L.'s birth is Oc- 
tober [8, [903. They are interesting chil- 
dren and add much sunshine to the modern 
and pleasant home of the Bostwicks. 

In his fraternal relations Mr. Bostwick 
is a member of the Masonic lodge at Cen- 
tralia. No. 201, Ancient Free and Accepted 
Masons, Centralia Chapter No. 93 ; also 
Centralis Council No. 28, and Cyrene Com- 
mandery No. 23; he also belongs to the 
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. 
No. 403. and the United Commercial Trav- 
elers: the Modern Woodmen and the Hoo- 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



\ 



323 



H00, the latter an organization of lumber- 
men, purely social, now consisting" of nearly 
thirty thousand members. The mystic num- 
ber of this association is nine, every mem- 
ber having a number, and is fortunate if 
there is a nine in it. President Roosevelt's 
number is 9999. The Bostwick family for 
Many generations have l>een members of 
the Episcopal church. Mr. Bostwick is now 
and for manv years has been senior ward- 
en of St. John's Episcopal church at Cen- 
tralia. 

Our subject is a member of the Episcopal 
church as is also his estimable wife. In pol- 
itics Mr. Bostwick is a Republican, and 
while he has not been prominent in the af- 
fairs of his party, he has ever assisted in 
whatever way he could the furthering of 
good city government and the welfare of 
his community. He is now president of the 
Board of Education. 

Whatever of success has attended our 
subject's efforts has been entirely owing to 
his own endeavors, his energy, industry and 
natural ability. From small beginnings he 
has gradually attained a prominence in his 
county which entitles him to be regarded as 
one of its leading citizens. 



DAXIEL BECK. 



The name Daniel Beck, of Claremont 
township, needs very little introduction to 
the people of Richland county for it is a name 
that has ever been associated with the mate- 



rial and spiritual progress of the community 
for an extended period. No aspersions can 
be made on any action of his during a pil- 
grimage of upwards of sixty-three years. He 
has been one of the original promoters of 
the establishment of St. James Lutheran 
church, and he has lent himself at all times 
to all movements for the betterment and ad- 
vancement of the people of the locality in 
which he resides. 

Daniel Beck was born in Olney township 
on the 19th of October, 1845. on what was 
known as the "Hooverler" farm. He was 
the son of Jacob and Elizabeth (Phillips) 
Beck, both natives of York county, Pennsyl- 
vania, in which count}- they were married. 
His parents at the time of their marriage 
soon moved to Ohio, where they lived for a 
few years in Stark county. In the year 1842 
they migrated overland in a one-horse wagon 
to Illinois, where they settled in Richland 
county and moved onto the "Hooverler" 
farm in Olney township, which they rented. 
living there for three years. In their family 
they reared Bessie Hooverler for six years, 
for which they received sixty dollars. With 
this money they entered forty acres of tim- 
ber land in German township, although they 
had intended to enter the land where the St. 
James Lutheran parsonage now stands in 
Claremont township. There was not a sin- 
gle effort at improvement made in the land 
they entered. They set to work and cleared 
enough space to build a log house, after 
which they started to clear the rest for farm- 
ing purposes, and bring it to perfection. 
Here, Daniel Beck's parents remained until 



BIOGRAPHICAL \M> REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



the time of their deaths. Ill- mother died 
in April, 1872, having passed her sixtieth 
milestone. His father survived her several 
years, dying in Vpril, 1882, at the age of 
eight}- four. Both are laid to rest in Goss 
cemetery, German township, which is about 
two miles from the spot in which they lived 
foi so man} years. They were the parents 
of ten children, seven of whom grew to ma- 
turity, three dying in infancy. Daniel, the 
subject of our present sketch, was the ninth 
in order of birth. He remained with his 
parents on the home farm until his marriage 
to Susan Ditch, which took place December 
24. 1867. His wife, who was horn Decem- 
ber 25, [851, in Stark county. Ohio, was the 
daughter of John and Catherine ( Boatman) 
Ditch, her father being a native of Pennsyl- 
vania, and her mother of Ohio, their mar- 
riage taking place in Ohio. Her parents 
came to Illinois in the spring of 1852. com- 
ing along down via the Ohio river to Evans- 
ville. Indiana, thence overland to Illinois, 
where they -ruled on a farm in Qaremont 
township, Richland county, where her father 
bought forty acres, for which he paid two 
hundred and fifty dollars, and which con- 
sisted of unimproved land. He started in 
and built a log house for his family, and put 
the land inl 1 the shape of a farm. Here. they 
lived until the death of her mother which 
nrred Decemher 23, 1880, at the age of 
fifty-four year-. Her father survived five 
year- longer, dying January id. 1885. at the 
of sixty-six. Both were buried in Goss 
cemetery. German township. The) were the 
parents of fourteen children, of whom half 



the number arrived at maturity; seven dying 
in childhood. Mrs. Daniel Beck was the 
-e\ enth in order of birth. 

For a year after their marriage Daniel 
Beck and his wife lived with his parent- on 
the German township homestead. At the end 
of that time Daniel took a lease on ten acres 
in German township. This was all timber. 
I le built a log house, a rather small one. and 
cleared the Land, remaining there for four 
wars. He then moved upon the farm he 
now occupies in section 28. Claremont town- 
ship. During his early days in Richland 
county, as is well known, deer and wild tur- 
keys were very numerous, and the many 
wolves which inhabited the timber made life 
precarious for the sheep. 

In his early days Daniel Reck met with 
some hardships and ill-luck which might 
have daunted a weaker man. Application and 
mdustriousness brought prosperity, however, 
and he has now a well kept farmstead. In 
order to build his house there he cut the tim- 
ber on his land, hauled it to the saw mill, and 
had it sawed into [umber, and hauled it back 
again, unaided. He employed his brother- 
in-law, John Ditch, to build the house. 

lie and his wife have had six children. 
Four grew up and two died in early lite. 
Sarah R. is the wife of Eli Sager in Clare- 
mont township; Rachael C. died at the age 
of fifteen; Mary Matilda married Sam ( er- 
ber, decea-ed. and is now the wife of Adolph 
Scherer in German township; John Luther 
died aged eight years; Ira J. lives on a farm 
in Madison township; and Emma Eunice 
died in infancy. Daniel Beck and his wife 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



325 



also reared three orphan children, two boys 
and one girl. One of the boys, Charles 
Smith, is now married and lives in California 
near Long Beach. Leslie Dickerson, the 
other boy. and Carrie Shaw, the girl, still 
live at home on the farm. They are receiv- 
ing a good education; Miss Shaw is a grad- 
uate of home schools and possesses three 
diplomas. 

Daniel Beck before he was quite five years 
old attended subscription school in Clare- 
mont township ; afterwards at a subscription 
school in German township ; and for another 
term in Claremont township with Ben Law- 
yer as teacher. He attended school off and 
on irregularly until his twenty-first year. The 
"three R's" were principally the studies en- 
gaged in, and considering the schooling of 
the day he received a very good education. 
The hewn pin-legged seats, without backs, 
were then in use, and wide planks set against 
the sides of the wall were the desks used to 
write on. 

In politics Daniel Beck is a Democrat, 
with a lasting admiration fur both Stevenson 
(once Vice-President) and the silver-tongued 
William J. Bryan. He is, or at least hasbeen. 
somewhat active in local affairs. He was 
once elected poundmaster, an office which he 
declined. He served several terms as a 
School Director in the school district of Hick- 
ory Point. He lives in section No. 28. He 
has never sat on a jury, and though he was 
summoned several times as a witness the 
few cases never came to trial. 

He and his wife and family have always 
been members and faithful workers of the 



St. James Lutheran church in Claremont. 
He is an elder of the church, having been 
chosen to fill a vacancy. He can lay the 
claim also, as before stated, to be one of the 
originators of the church, which is now in 
its third building, being at one time an old 
log structure. 

In everyday life, Daniel Beck is a man 
whose word is as good, if not better, than the 
bond of many. Honesty and integrity are 
no meaningless words with him and his 
records as a man and citizen are without 
blemish. 



HENDERSON BOYAKIN WHAM. 

A native of Haines township, Marion 
county, and having spent the sixty years 
of his life there, naturally the subject of 
this sketch is known to every man, woman 
and child in that section of the state. Mr. 
Wham has been very much in the public eye, 
in various capacities, having on more than 
one occasion been closely identified with 
the affairs of the township in an official way, 
and it may not be amiss to state, in this 
connection, that his constituents never had 
cause to regret the fact of having conferred 
upon him their suffrages. He is known as 
a devoutly religious man. 

Mr. Wham was born in Haines township 
March 2j, 1848, being the offspring of Wil- 
liam and Louisa (Rainey) Wham, the for- 
mer a native of Tennessee, while the latter 
was born in Kentucky. The grandfather of 
the subject was a native of Ireland, and 



3*6 



BlOGKAI'HKAl. AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



came to America shortly after t lie Revolu- 
tionary war, setting in South Carolina <>n 
a farm. Lata he went t<> I'ennessee, where 
he died, ami the father and grandmother of 
Mr. Wham moved t<> -Marion county, set- 
tling in Haines township, wliere later the 
former was married. The couple entered a 
farm of prairie and timl>er land in Haines 
township that was purchased from the gov- 
ernment. He broke the land and built upon 
it what was then considered a very com- 
modious dwelling. He was a very progres- 
sive man. and did much to develop the 
region. After improving his own land he 
did much work for his neighbors in the way 
of breaking the sod, using an ox team, and 
to him was also due the construction of 
many good roads. He was a Whig and 
later a Republican. His wife died in 1883, 
and he survived her ten years. He was born 
in 181 7, and his helpmate in 1818. They 
were both devout meml>ers of the Presby- 
terian church for many years, but in later 
years became members of the Methodist 
denomination. There were born to the 
couple eight children, namely: Margaret 
Ann, widow of James M. Mount; Martha, 
widow of William K. Storment, living at 
Cartter, Illinois ; Elizabeth, deceased, was 
the wife of John R. Morrison; Minerva, de- 
ceased, was the wife of Thomas J. Holt; 
Jerusha, deceased, was the wife of Mathew 
M. Gaston; H. B., our subject; Mathew R., 
deceased, and William R., living at Cartter, 
Illinois. 

The early life of the subject was spent on 
a farm in Haines township. He attended 
the common schools and later the high 



school at Centralia. Illinois. In 1871 he 
married Nancy Jane Stonecipher, daughter 
of Joshua and Nancy A. (Hall) Stone- 
cipher, both being natives of Tennessee and 
early settlers of Marion county. The sub- 
ject and his wife had ten children, viz.: 
Prof. George D., a teacher of pedagogy in 
the State Normal School at Carbondale. 
who married Edith Page, of Olney, Illinois, 
and who is the father of one child, John 
Page Wham: Nellie Eunice, wife of T, E. 
Manlding, East St. Louis, has one child, 
Howard B. : Phoebe, wife of E. P. Gaston, 
Centralia. Illinois, has one child, Helen, 
Edgar B., a successful merchant of Cartter, 
Illinois, married Anna Blair: Frederick, 
senior in law department of the University 
of Illinois at Champaign, Illinois; Charles, 
in school at Champaign, taking a literary 
course; Florence, at home; Benjamin in 
school at Carbondale. normal course: Wil- 
liam J., died in infancy; infant, unnamed, 
deceased. 

Joshua Stonecipher and wife, parents of 
Mrs. Wham, had fourteen children and 
they are all dead but five, Hiram, Phcebe, 
Mary, Curtis and Mrs. Wham. The Stone- 
cipher family is very highly respected in 
Marion county. William Wham, grand- 
father of the subject, was the father of eight 
children, Joseph, John, Benjamin, William 
Isabella, Ann, Jane and Elizabeth. Mathew 
Rainey, the maternal grandfather of the 
subject, also had eight children, all of whom 
are dead. They were: Louisa Ann. Jeru- 
sia, Jane, Sarah. Patsey, William, Robert 
and Samuel. 

The suhject has one of the most attractive 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



Z 2 7 



farms in Haines township. He has con- 
structed a spacious dwelling and ample 
barns. He has been a stock raiser for many 
years, and handles the very best grade of 
horses, mules, cattle and sheep. Although 
he is a very busy man Mr. Wham has a 
great love for literature, and spends much 
time among his books. The subject began 
teaching school in 1867, and spent alto- 
gether twenty-five years as a pedagogue. 
He was a successful instructor and did 
much for the cause of education in Marion 
county, and particularly Haines township. 
He early became an enthusiastic champion 
of the State Normal School located at Car- 
bondale, and it is a matter of record that 
Marion county stands first in the state out- 
side of the county in which the school is lo- 
cated in the number of students attending 
that institution. It is also a fact, of which 
Mr. Wham may feel justly proud, that 
Haines township, where he taught for so 
many years, has furnished more students for 
the State Normal than any other township 
in Marion county. He is a Republican and 
has been Supervisor of Haines township 
twice, Town Clerk one term, besides serving 
as Assessor. As an evidence of his popu- 
larity it may be stated that Haines town- 
ship is Democratic normally, but Mr. 
Wham received an unusually large plurality. 
He has rarely been defeated for public 
office, but when he ran for County Treasurer 
in 1906 he was defeated by forty-two votes. 
Mr. Wham has been a Sunday school 
teacher and superintendent for a number of 
years, and has taken a great interest in 
church work. 



LYDIA PHILLIPS GERBER. 

Of the older residents of Claremont 
township there are few that are better 
known and more widely respected than the 
subject of this brief notice, who was born 
July 14, 1834, in Stark county, Ohio, the 
daughter of David and Sarah Phillips, her 
mother's name being Hosier and a native of 
Stark county. Her father was a Pennsyl- 
vanian and moved from there with his par- 
ents when almost at the age of manhood. 
His parents settled in Stark county. Ohio, 
where they lived for some years before 
coming to Illinois. About the year 1840. 
they moved and settled in Claremont town- 
ship, Richland county, one year before 
Richland county was surveyed. Lydia 
Phillips was then but six years of age. In 
Richland county her parents entered forty 
acres of unimproved land, the greater part 
of which was covered with timber. This 
land he ( her father) bought from the gov- 
ernment at one dollar and twenty-five cents 
an acre. He started to clear and improve 
the land and built a crude log house of 
hewn logs. Industriously he kept adding 
to his property until he had two hundred 
acres at the time of his death. When two 
years in Illinois his parents left Ohio and 
made their home with the younger family, 
where they remained until their deaths, 
which took place when they were well on 
in the eighties. 

Lydia Phillips remained with her parents 
on their farm until her marriage to Wil- 
liam Gerber, which was celebrated on June 
20, 1856. She and her husband settled on 



328 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY ok 



forty acres of land in Claremonl township, 
at a later period they bought mure, making 
a total of <>ne hundred acres. Here they 
remained in peaceful married life and work- 
ing hard until the death of William Gerber, 
which event occurred on January 3, [896, 
when he had reached his sixty-sixth year. 
He was the son of Phillip and Susannah 
Gerber, his mother's name being Sager, 
both of them being natives of Pennsylvania, 
where William was horn on February -'4. 
1830. He mined with his parents to San- 
dusky, Ohio, then to Indiana, and later re- 
turning again to Ohio. Afterwards they 
moved to Illinois and settled in Richland 
county, where his parents died. They are 
buried in Claremonl township cemetery. 

l.ydia Phillips was the eldest of eight 
children horn to her parents, all of whom 
grew to maturity. She herself was hlessed 
with eight children. All of them grew to 
maturity, hut four have since died. In the 
order of their birth, they are: Sarah Jane. 
Elizabeth, Matilda K.. John P.. George W., 
Levi I'.. Ellen and Henry. George is the 
only child who married. lie and his wife 
live on the homestead with his mother and 
are the parents of \, mr children, all of whom 
live. They are: Inez Myrtle, Charles Os- 
car, ( Irace A., and Francis W. 

Lydia Phillips Gerber attended in her 
early days the free schools m Claremonl 
township near her home. The building was 
an old log house with a fireplace which was 
1 mil t of mud and sticks. The seats were 
four log slabs balanced upon four pegs 
which stood for legs. The 1 ks used were 



McGuffey's readers and the elementary 
speller and a few others which were the 
principal text hooks of the time. Here she 
attended school for seventeen years and ob- 
tained a good share of information. 

Her husband during his life was a Demo- 
crat in politics. In religion she and her 
husband and the grandparents were mem- 
bers of the Lutheran church in Claremont 
township. During her long life she has 
never omitted to give her church duties a 
proper share of attention. She has always 
been respected in the congregation to which 



she belongs. 



JAMES M. DACE. 

Among the representative business men 

of Marion county is the subject of this 
sketch, who is at present proprietor of a well 
known and flourishing restaurant in Odin, 
and who is carrying on his line of business 
with that enterprise and discretion which 
arc sure to find their sequel in definite sue 
cess. 

James \|. Dace was horn in Monroe City, 
Monroe county, Illinois, on April iS. [861, 
hut was educated in the public schools of 
this county, where he applied himself in a 
careful manner and received a good educa- 
tion. He later took a commercial course in 
the Bryant and Stratton Pusincss College 
of Si. Louis. After leaving school, our 
subject devoted himself to farming, having 
while attending school worked on his fa- 



RICHLAND. CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



329 



ther's farm. This he followed with success 
attending his efforts until 1888. then lie 
traveled for a period of seven years for the 
D. M. Osborn Company, successfully han- 
dling a line of agricultural implements, and 
obtaining a large amount of trade for them. 
In 1895 Mr. Dace gave up his position on 
the road and opened his present business in 
Odin, that of conducting a restaurant. His 
success was instantaneous, and he has since 
conducted the same with much satisfaction 
attending his efforts, his neat, well equipped 
and carefully managed restaurant being 
known far and wide to the transient visitors 
to Odin, as well as to numerous local pa- 
trons. Here is served the very best grade 
of materials that the market affords and all 
guests are accorded the kindest considera- 
tion and most courteous treatment, so that 
a customer is never lost, but all speak in 
praise of our subject's place of business, 
which would be a credit to any town, much 
less one the size of Odin. 

Mr. Dace has long taken considerable in- 
terest in public affairs, his unusual talents 
having been recognized early by his many 
political friends, so that he was sought out 
for public office, with the result that he has 
been Supervisor of his township for the 
past twelve years which position he has 
held with great credit to himself and with 
satisfaction to all concerned. In politics 
he is a loyal Democrat. 

The married life of Mr. Dace dates from 
1884, when he was united in the bonds of 
wedlock with Lulu Charlton, a native of 
this county and a daughter of Sidnev and 



Henrietta (Gaines) Charlton, natives of 
this county. The paternal grandfather ot 
our subject's wife came to this county in an 
early day, taking up twelve hundred acres 
of land, which he developed and on which 
he raised his family and where he died, hav- 
ing lived to an old age. His wife, who is 
still living, is very old. 

The subject and wife have no children 
living. Mrs. Dace belongs to the Christian 
church. Our subject in his fraternal rela- 
tions is a member of the ancient and honor- 
able order of Masons, the Knights of 
Pythias and the Woodmen, having filled 
many of the chairs in the latter. He at 
present holds offices in two of these lodges. 
He also belongs to the Red Men. Mr. Dace 
has always been known as a man of sound 
business principles, kind hearted, liberal and 
pleasant to all. 



JACOB BURGEXER. 

It is almost unnecessary at this time to 
speak of the part played by European exiles 
in the upbuilding of this nation. They came 
here prior to the Revolution, the stream grew 
la?ger and more constant at its close, and 
they have still continued to come in large 
numbers. We have always plenty of room 
for them and the} - pay us hack, and have 
paid us back, by their industrious and frugal 
lives and by their contributions to the pros- 
perity of our United States. 

The subject of this sketch comes of a mid 
European race — the hardy Swiss mountain- 



330 BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OK 

eers. Jacob Burgener was born in the Can- this shed the cows were kept and the noise of 

tun of Bern, Switzerland, on June 3, [845, the cow-bells ringing every night sounded 

tin- son "I' Jacob ami Anna Burgener. His almost like alarm clocks to the family. A log 

parents were both natives of Switzerland, stable was also built and fences were pot up, 

where his father was horn. In April of the and in this work the family were helped by 

year [847 the subject of this sketch came an uncle. William Van Alman. who broke 

with his parents to the United States, land- many an acre of the ground. At this time 

ing in New York harbor. The voyage across the subject of our sketch was nine or ten 

the vast stretches of the Atlantic ocean was a years old. His grandfather Burgener was 

tedious one m those days and their trip in a also with them, having come from Swit/.er- 

sailing vessel was of forty-six days' duration land. He also settled in Preston township 

having been beaten out of their course sev- where he lived until his demise, being buried 

eral times In storms; many hundred sharks in the German Reform cemetery, Preston 

followed at times in the wake of the ship; township, aged eighty years, 
and many of the emigrants died at sea. their Jacob Burgener was about fourteen or tif- 

bodies being sewed in a sack in lieu of a teen years old when his mother died. She 

shroud and then thrown overboard to make is buried in the German Reform cemetery 

1 ' ''"' the sharks. m Preston township. Her mother and fa- 

< )n their arrival in New York they set out ther were horn 111 Switzerland, when mother 
lor Richland comity. Ohio, where they rent- .lied father came to the United States, 
ed a farm and remained for two or three and she had two brothers and three 
years. In the year [850 they migrated over- sisters who helped to swell the tide of emi- 
land in wagons from Ohio. to Illinois, where gration to the United States. Some time 
they settled in Richland county. Preston after his mother's death his father mar- 
township. Here they worked on the farm ried again, his second wife's name being 
ol -in old inhabitant named Jacob Vbggy, Margaret Stucchi. She died in the year 
and some few years later they entered eighty [903 and is also buried in the Herman Re- 
acres bought from the government at the form cemetery in Preston township. Jacob 
current price ol one dollar and a quarter an Burgener remained with his father on the 
acre in Preston township, and later added farm until about twenty-two years of age 
forty acres. Eighty acres of this land was During his years on his father's farm rattle- 
mostly prairie land, and forty acres con- snakes abounded there. Herds of wild deer, 
tained timber, and there was not even a fence wolves and wild game were also in evidence. 
or a well on the property. Jacob Burgener the wolves, especially, being so numerous 
began at .nee to improve his holding and and ferocious that they did not dare let the 
built a log house with a 1 mg shed on the side sheep OUt at night. 

running the full length .if the house. In At the age of twenty-two Jacob Burgener 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



331 



left his father's farm and went to work for 
some neighbors, obtaining a wage of about 
thirteen or fourteen dollars per month. In 
December, 1871, he married Anna Combs, 
who was born in Claremont county. Ohio. 
She was the daughter of Abner and Eliza- 
beth Combs, her mother's name being Eliza- 
beth Smizer, natives of Ohio, who came to 
Illinois and settled in Preston township in 
the year i860, where they built a fine house 
and barn and spent about two thousand dol- 
lars in improvements upon their farm of over 
three hundred acres. Mrs. Burgener's fa- 
ther died in 1884 and her mother still sur- 
vives, living in Preston township at the age 
of ninety-two years. 

On his marriage Jacob Burgener settled 
on a farm of forty acres in Olney township, 
which his father-in-law had given him, and 
there he remained until his removal to his 
present farm of two hundred acres in Clare- 
mont township in the year 1881. While liv- 
ing in Olney township his wife died on Feb- 
ruary 23. 1878, in her thirty-first year, and 
was buried in Olney. Three children were 
born of the marriage, two boys and one girl, 
all of whom are now married and have fami- 
lies of their own. Their names are: Wil- 
liam A.. Harry L., and Winona. William 
A. lives in Olney township on a one hundred 
and sixty acre farm. Harry L. lives in Clare- 
mont township on forty acres of fine im- 
proved land. Winona is the wife of Charles 
Elliott and lives in Montana. 

Jacob Burgener re-married on October 15, 
1881, Sophia (Fritchle) Garber, widow of 
John Garber. She was born September 2. 



1845, in Olney township, Richland county. 
Illinois, being the daughter of Jacob and 
Lydia (Strathe) Fritchle. Her father was 
a native of Germany and her mother of 
Pennsylvania. They were married in Qthio 
and lived for some time near Canton, Ohio, 
afterwards, about the year 1839, coming to 
Richland county, Illinois, and settling on the 
farm on which they lived until their deaths. 
Her mother died in the year 1857 and her 
father in 1899, at tne a & e OI eighty-one or 
eighty-two years. Both lie buried in the 
Lutheran cemetery in Claremont township, 
situated near where the old log church used 
to stand. By her first marriage the second 
Mrs. Burgener had four children, only one 
of whom is living. They were: Jake P.. 
Daniel, Charles, all deceased, and Mary E., 
who is living and is married to William H. 
Haulterman, the owner of a splendid farm 
in Jasper county, Illinois. 

Jacob Burgener in his young days attend- 
ed about two winter terms at the free school 
in Preston township. His work at home on 
the farm interfered with his school attend- 
ance and he consequently did not receive 
much education. He was quick to learn, 
however, and became proficient in reading, 
writing, spelling, and some arithmetic. He 
has been active in the life of the township and 
county, is a Democrat in politics, and has 
served a term on the county grand jury at 
Olney. He and his wife and the members 
of their family all belong to the Lutheran 
church, his first wife being a Methodist. The 
Burgeners have always been known to take 
an active part in church affairs. 



33 2 



BIOGRAFHII \l. AND KK.M1NISC K.\T HISTORY OF 



During his lengthy life Jacob Burgener 
lias worked hard and prospered and as a re- 
sult has two hundred acres of fine farm land 
well improved, tie is now past his sixty- 
second _\ear. with his present wife the same 
age, and he enjoys fairly good health. He 
is an influential man in the township and well 
known and respected by his neighbors. 



BENJAMIN F. XORFLEET. 

This venerable and highly honored citi- 
zen of Raccoon township, represents that 
class of noble American citizens who spend 
their lives in the rural districts, the great 
producers, on whom the rest of the world 
depends, and his life has been so active and 
carefully lived that success has attended al- 
most his every effort. 

Benjamin F. Norfleet was born in Mont- 
gomery county. Tennessee. May 29, 1832, 
the son of Mannaduke and Malinda (Mc- 
Fadden) Norfleet, natives of Montgomery 
county. The subject's grandfather was 
James Norfleet, a native of North Carolina. 
lie married in that state, but lived in Mont- 
gomery county, Tennessee, most of his life. 
He was a farmer and raised a good deal of 
fruit. lie was noted for the fine apple and 
peach brandy which he made, lie and his 
wife died in that county. They were the 
parents of time sons and four daughters. 
I lr was of Welsh descent. There were three 
brothers of tin- Norfleet family who came 
to America, namely: James, Marmaduke 
and Starkey. They settled in North Caro- 



lina. The subject's grandfather, David 
McFadden, was a native of Ireland. He 
married Elizabeth Elliott. He came to 
America shortly after they were married. 
He came first to this country and in six- 
months sent for his wife. He settled in 
Montgomery county, Tennessee, on the Red 
river. He got six hundred and forty acres 
of government land. He cleared a great 
deal of the land and built a fine home on it. 
He was a farmer and a successful business 
man. They lived the rest of their lives in 
Montgomery county and reared a large 
family. The subject's father and mother 
were both horn in Montgomery county. 
Tennessee. The former was educated in 
the home schools and was a self-learned 
man and became a good scholar. He was 
a carpenter and farmer. In 1855 he went 
to Stewart county, Tennessee, and bought 
a farm there. He was Justice of the Peace, 
was active in Democratic politics. He and 
his wife were members of the Methodist 
Episcopal church. Mrs. Norfleet died in 
Stewart county. Tennessee. They were the 
parents of thirteen children, namely: Ben- 
jamin Franklin, our subject: David, a 
farmer in Stewart county. Tennessee: Hen- 
ry A., a farmer in Stewart county. Tennes- 
see: George, a farmer in the same county: 
Virginia, who lives in the same county; 
Josephine L. also lives in that county ; 
Mary Elizabeth became a resident of Wil- 
liamson count)'. Illinois, where she died. 
Tin- rest of the children are all deceased 

The subject of this sketch had only a lim- 
ned education, obtained in the subscription 
schools. He lived at home until he was 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



333 



twenty-two years of age. He was united 
in marriage October 10, 1855, to Josephine 
Hamlett, of Montgomery county, Tennes- 
see, the daughter of James and Jane (At- 
kins) Hamlett, the former of North Caro- 
lina, and the latter of Montgomery county. 
Tennessee, to which county the former went 
when ten years of age. He was a carpen- 
ter and cabinet maker, and he and his wife 
lived in that county the rest of their lives. 
They were the parents of eight children, 
namely : James, deceased ; Frank is a car- 
penter in Marshall, Texas ; Mary Jane is 
deceased ; the fourth child died in infancy ; 
Jackson is deceased ; Josephine, the sub- 
ject's wife; Maria, of Nashville, Tennes- 
see; Margaret, of Clarksville, Tennessee. 
Eleven children have been born to the 
subject and wife, one of whom is deceased, 
namely : Emma is the wife of F. G. Boggs, 
of Raccoon township, whose sketch appears 
in full on another page of this volume; 
Marmaduke, a farmer in Raccoon township, 
married Lucy Boggs ; Edgar, who is con- 
nected with "The Houston Post." at 
Houston, Texas, married Belle Clayburn ; 
Ella died young; Jefferson, who married 
Minnie Brown, is a farmer at Springfield, 
Illinois ; Dora, who married Ira Richard- 
son, lives at Muskogee, Oklahoma; Thomas 
M., who is an engineer in a coal mine at 
Springfield, Illinois, married Hattie Few ; 
Sidney, a carpenter living at St. Louis, Mis- 
souri, married Nettie Stader; Beulah, the 
widow of William Stewart, lives at Centra- 
lia, Illinois; Benjamin F., Jr.. who lives in 
Lexington, Kentucky, married a Miss Mc- 



Murphy. He is a well known professor in 
that city, being connected with a correspon- 
dence school there. Starkey, the youngest 
child, who married Ava Davis, is a farmer 
at Muskogee, Oklahoma. 

After our subject married he and his wife 
lived in Montgomery county. Tennessee, 
until 1865, when he went to Trenton, Ken- 
tucky, where he purchased a farm. He also 
worked at the carpenter's trade until 1870. 
He came to Marion county, Illinois, lo- 
cating in Raccoon township, on Tennessee 
Prairie, where he rented land for one year 
and bought eighty acres in section 22 and 
twenty acres in section 27, on which he 
built a house and lived there for twenty 
years, when he bought his present place of 
forty acres known as the Wesley Willis 
place in Raccoon township. He has worked 
at the carpenter's trade since he was sixteen 
years old, and, being thus naturally gifted, 
he became a very fine workman. He has 
worked at his trade with much success. He 
has been a most excellent farmer. He re- 
tired in 1905. He learned his trade from 
his father. A great deal of the time he pre- 
ferred to rent his land and follow carpentry. 

Mr. Norfleet has served as Highway 
Commissioner for five years, and two terms 
as school trustee ; also two terms as director. 
He is a Democrat in his political relations. 
Mrs. Norfleet is a member of the Christian 
church and the subject is a member of the 
Free Will Baptist church. Members of the 
Norfleet family are well known in Marion 
county and they have a modern and nicely 
furnished home. 



334 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



LUTHER HOLT, M. D. 

Although but in the meridian of life the 
subject of this sketch has had wonderful 
success in alleviating the ills and sufferings 
of his fellow men, and in Haines township, 
Marion county, he is regarded as a credit 
to the noble profession in which he has been 
engaged for more than twenty years. His 
boyhood days were spent on a farm, but 
early in life he showed a desire to become a 
medical practitioner, and when his school 
days came to an end his parents decided that 
the longing of his heart should he realized. 

Dr. Holt was horn in Haines township, 
May 14. 1862, the son of Charles Wesley 
and Violindia ( Wilkins) Holt. The father 
of the subject first saw the light of day in 
West Virginia. November 20. 1834. and 
was the son of Joseph and Elizabeth (Jack- 
son) Holt, the latter a native of South Caro- 
lina. Joseph, after going South, where he 
was married, settled in Virginia, and final- 
ly removed to Tennessee, where he lived 
until 1837, when he decided that he could 
better his condition by moving further west, 
and as a result, emigrated to Marion coun- 
ty, settling at Centralia. Later he took up 
his residence in Washington county. Il- 
linois, and remained there until the death 
of his wife. Elizabeth (Jackson) Holt, 
which occurred in 1847. After this sad 
event Ik- went to Texas, and died there a 
few years later. The couple were survived 
by eleven children. Joseph, John. Eliza, 
Gordon W.. Lee, Sarah J., Thomas J. 
< lharles W., Nathaniel. Albert and Fletcher 
L. 



Charles W. Holt, father of the subject. 
has spent all of his life in Marion county. 
Illinois. He was only three years old when 
the family removed to the state, making the 
trip with an ox team ami pack horses. 
When a young man he worked on farms. 
and was employed at times as a laborer on 
public improvements. He helped to grade 
the Illinois Central road when it was con- 
structed, and this work was done with shov- 
els and wheel-barrows. Later he began 
farming for himself on forty acres in sec- 
tion 12, settling on his present farm in sec- 
tion 15, in 1865, which was almost an un- 
broken prairie at the time. This farm now 
consists of 220 acres of well tilled land. 

The mother of the subject is a native of 
Marion county, being the daughter of Ben- 
jamin and Cloanna (Brewer) Wilkins. the 
latter a native of Kentucky. Her parents 
were early settlers of Marion county, and 
are both dead. The father and mother of 
the subject are members of the Baptist 
church at Pleasant Grove. Mr. Holt is a 
Democrat and has served in the capacity of 
school director. In connection with the cul- 
tivation of his farm, he gives considerable 
attention to stock breeding, raising a high 
grade of mules, horses, cattle, sheep, hogs. 
Dr. Holt, the subject of this sketch, lives on 
the farm with his father and mother, upon 
which is a building which is utilized by him 
as an office. He received a common school 
education, and in 1884 entered the St. 
Louis Medical College, and three years later 
graduated in medicine and surgery. He 
then returned to Illinois and began prac- 
ticing with Dr. A. I'. Kell, at Fortville, but 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



335 



after a short time went to Xenia, Illinois, 
where for one year he practiced with Dr. 
Shirley. At the end of that interval he re- 
turned to his father's farm, and since then 
has conducted his practice from that place. 
In 1889 the subject was married to Josie 
Huff, who was born and raised in Haines 
township, and is the daughter of Thomas 
and Emma (Fulton) Huff. Seven children 
were born to the subject and his wife, six 
of whom survive. They are Hallie, Althia, 
Edna. Earl, Edgar, Ida and Roy. Althia 
is dead ; Edna lives with her parents, and 
Hallie is a teacher in the Marion county 
schools. Dr. Holt is a member of the Ma- 
rion County Medical Society, and in politics 
he is a Democrat. He has served as School 
Director, and is a stockholder in a Salem 
bank. He has always taken a great interest 
in public affairs. 



WILLIAM VAN ALMAN. 

One of the owners of extensive farming 
interests in Richland county is the gentle- 
man whose name initiates this sketch, who 
resides in Preston township. His valuable 
property has been acquired through his own 
efforts — his persistency of purpose and his 
determination, and the prosperity which is 
the legitimate reward of all earnest effort 
is today his. 

William Van Alman was born in 
Switzerland. July 5. 1828, the son of 
Christian and Anna (Milliman) Van Al- 



man, also natives of Switzerland, where 
they lived and died. The father of the sub- 
ject was a farmer and died when the latter 
was ten years old, and he was only three 
years old, when his mother died. They 
were the parents of seven children, four 
girls and three boys, William being the 
youngest. He was reared in his native land 
and received a common school education. 
When nineteen years old he went through 
the regular drill required of all able bodied 
young men. He had left home when six- 
teen, having secured the required passport 
to leave his native section of Switzerland. 
He worked on farms and at dairy work for 
several years. In the latter part of 1849 
in company with two older brothers and a 
cousin, he came to the United States in an 
old-fashioned sailing vessel, being fifty-four 
days making- the ocean voyage, landing at 
New Orleans, where he says he saw his first 
"nigger." He came up the Mississippi and 
Ohio rivers to Louisville, Kentucky, where 
he arrived January 1, 1850. He soon went 
to Ripley county, Indiana, where his cousin 
lived, and in the following March went to 
Mount Vernon, Illinois. That same spring 
he came to Richland county, and went to 
work on a farm for seven dollars per 
month. He saved his money which he add- 
ed to what he had when he came to the 
United States. In 1852 he entered one 
hundred and sixty acres of land in Preston 
township, eighty acres of prairie and eighty 
acres of bottom land. He at once built a 
log cabin and began improving his place, 
having bought a yoke of cattle and began 



336 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMIX1SCKXT HISTORY (IF 



breaking the prairie land, and being a hard 
worker, he was not long in making many 
changes on his farm. He bought more 
oxen and continued breaking land Eor his 
neighbors for ten years — over one thousand 
acres in all. He operated a threshing ma- 
chine for thirty years, wearing out six ma- 
chines during that time, and doing a large 
and prosperous business in this line. ITe 
became prosperous and at one time owned 
three hundred acres. He is at this writing 
the owner of two hundred and fifty acres. 

Olney was a hamlet of only a tew houses 
-mean wooden structures — when Mr. Van 
Alman came here. William Van Alman 
was united in marriage October 7. 1862, 
to Elizabeth Mattingly, who was born in 
Jasper county, Illinois, the daughter of 
George and Elizabeth Mattingly- The sub- 
ject and wife are the parents of thirteen 
children, six of whom grew to maturity. 
They are. Matilda. Stephen, died when thir- 
ty-two years old ; Charles. Emma is the wife 
of William Lamkin, who lives in Louis- 
ville. Kentucky; Fred W. is a farmer in 
Preston township; Louise is the wife of Ed. 
Williams, living on the old homestead. 

Politically Mr. Van Uman is a Demo- 
crat, having always supported the principals 
of that party. He and his wife are mem- 
bers of the German Reformed church in 
Preston township. 

Mr. Van \lman was the first person to 
break the banks "f the Ambrose river to 
cross with a wagon in this section. He was 
the first person to subscribe fifty dollars for 
the construction of a bridge across this 
stream, where a fern- used to be main- 



tained, lie built the fust ferry across the 
Ambrose river in the pioneer days; in fact, 
he built four ferries before a bridge was 
constructed. His name is associated with 
progress in the county of his adoption and 
among those in whose midst he has SO long 
lived and labored, he is held in the highest 
esteem by reason of an upright life of fidel- 
itj to principles. 



WILLIAM F. BUNDY. 

Holding distinctive prestige among the 
enterprising citizens of Marion county, is 
William l\ I'.undv. whose record here briefly 
outlined, is that of a man who has been the 
architect of his own fortunes, a self-made 
man, who. by the exercise of talents with 
which nature endowed him, has successfully 
surmounted unfavorable environment and 
rose to the position he now occupies as one 
of the influential attorneys of the city hon- 
ored by his residence. He is a creditable 
representative of one of the old and highly 
esteemed pioneer families of southern Il- 
linois, and possesses many of the admirable 
qualities and characteristics of his sturdy 
ancestors who figured in the history of the 
early days in this section of the great 
Prairie state. Isaac Bundy, the subject's 
father, was born October 4, 1828, in Rac- 
coon township, this county, where he de- 
voted his manhood years to agricultural 
pursuits and became known as a most ex- 
emplary citizen, for many years a minister 
in the Methodist Episcopal church, always 
doing his full share in the promotion and 



KIC1ILAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



337 



growth of his part of the county. On June 
7, 1849, he was united in marriage with 
Amanda M. Richardson, after he had re- 
turned home from the Mexican war, in 
which he served with distinction, having en- 
listed in Colonel Newby's First Regiment, 
on June 8, 1847, ar >d soon afterward began 
the long and arduous march from Kansas 
City, Missouri, to Albuquerque, New Mex- 
ico; after the close of hostilities, marching 
back over the same route. John A. Logan, 
afterwards a conspicuous general in the war 
between the states, was then a second lieu- 
tenant of Company H, of the famous First 
Regiment, which did such effective work in 
the land of the ancient Montezumas, in 
which regiment Mr. Bundy served until his 
honorable discharge on October 13, 1848, 
having been a member of Company C. This 
was usually referred to as the Illinois Foot 
Volunteer Regiment, in which General 
James S. Martin, whose sketch appears in 
this volume, was a private. Isaac Bundy 
was also in the Civil war, having enlisted 
as a private at Springfield, Illinois, Novem- 
ber 18, 1861, remaining at Camp Butler, near 
that city for a time. He was appointed 
chaplain, October 7, 1862, and after serving 
faithfully until October 24, 1864, resigned 
on account of illness and returned home in 
Raccoon township, where he spent the re- 
mainder of his life, passing to his rest De- 
cember 13, 1899, his death having been 
deeply lamented by the people among whom 
he had so long lived and by whom he was 
held in such high esteem. 

Amanda M. (Richardson) Bundy, moth- 



er of the subject, was the daughter of Rev. 
James I. Richardson, of the Methodist Eis- 
copal church, who came to this state in an 
early days, and for some time was presiding 
elder of the Southern Illinois .Conference, 
of the above mentioned denomination, hav- 
ing been located at Salem, McLeansboro, 
Benton, Spring Garden, Central City and 
man}- other charges in the southern part of 
the state. Although his education was 
gained by the pine knot and tallow candle, 
with a short term in the common schools, 
he developed a strong mind, and this, coupled 
with an indomitable will, enabled him to sur- 
mount many obstacles and accomplish much 
good. He was a large man physically, hav- 
ing stood six feet two inches in height. Be- 
ing a strong Abolitionist, he took an active 
part in "underground railroad" work, as- 
sisting to free the negro from slavery when- 
ever an opportunity came. His talents at- 
tracted public attention wherever he went, 
and he was sought for positions of public 
trust and very ably served as a member of 
the sixteenth General Assembly, from Ma- 
rion county. Many of his associates in the 
House at that time later became noted in 
many walks of life. Reverend Richardson 
served in the Black Hawk war of 1832, hav- 
ing been a member of the Spy Battalion, 
Mounted Volunteers, under Capt. William 
Dobbins, which was mustered in June 17, 
1832, taking part in the battle of Kellogg's 
Grove, eight days later, June 25th. under 
eral Atkinson, in which engagement this 
company had fourteen horses killed, six 
wounded and three captured. The Spy Bat- 



- 18 

.1.1' 



DIOGRAPHlCAL AND RfiMINISCENl HISTOftf OF 



taliori, which was first organized in Marion 

county. May 4. 1832, was mustered out on 
iuguSi 16th, following. For his war rec- 
ord, his political service and his ministry, 
o vering a period of over thirty years. Rev- 
erend Richardson was a noted character in 
Southern Illinois. 

The subjfe'tt's paternal great-grandfather, 
Jonathan Bundy, was also a well known 
character in this part of the state in its earli- 
est pioneer period. He came from North 
Carolina in 181 7, having made the trip over- 
land with his family, consisting of the fol- 
lowing sons: William, Robert, Frederick 
and John. William, who remained single 
all his life, was a soldier in the War of 1812, 
having fought at New Orleans, under Gen- 
eral Jackson. Robert and Frederick reared 
families, the descendants of whom still live 
in Marion county, among whom is Wil- 
liam K., the oldest son of Frederick Bundy. 
John Bundy's family consisted of five sons, 
namely : Isaac, Bailey, Alexander, George 
and Samuel. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Bundy, parents 
of our subject, the following children were 
born: Elizabeth Jane, who married Noah 

E. Barr. is living near Salem, Dent county, 
Missouri, their family consisting of four 
hovs and three girls; Asbury and Samuel 
both died in infancy, Laura Alice married 
James M. Adams, and they are the parents 
of four hoys and one girl, namely: Ernest 
J. Sanford, James O., Rollin and Maud, all 
living in Centralia. with the exception of 
James O., who is living in Idaho. William 

F. the sdbjeel ''i this sfcetch, was fifth in 
order of birth, having been born in Rac- 



coon township, Marion county, Illinois, 
June 8, 1858. He was educated in Southern 
Illinois Normal University, at Carbondale, 
Illinois, arid decided to study law. He was 
married to Mary E. McXally, daughter of 
James |. and Sarah A. (Carter) McXally. 
Mr. McXally was born in Ireland, Septem- 
ber X, [836. After coming to America, he 
located in Xew York state, and when the 
Civil war broke out he enlisted in the Thir- 
ty-tilth Xew York Infantry and later in the 
Twentieth Xew York Cavalry. In the latter 
he became second lieutenant in Company E. 
Mrs. McXally was born in Constableville, 
Lewis county, Xew York, April 16, 1 843. 
She married Mc McXally September 21, 
1862. 

To Mr. and Mis. William I". IWindy the 
Following children have been born: Donald 
M. (deceased) ; Dorothy E., Sarah Pauline, 
and Margaret M. 

Politically Mr. Bundy is a Republican, 
and he has been called upon to serve in va- 
rious official capacities, among which was 
that of City Attorney, also City Clerk of 
( riitralia. for several terms each. When lie 
was young in the practice of his profession 
he represented the Forty-second District of 
Illinois in the General Assembly in the 
I hnise of Representatives, both in the forty- 
second < ieneral Assembly (1901 to 1903). 
and in the forty-third General Assembly, 
1 1003 to 1905). During the forty-second 
General Asserribly he was chairman of the 
important committee of Senatorial Appoint- 
ment and he was also a member of the 
Steering Committee of the Republican 
party, and in the forty-third General As- 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



339 



sembly he was chairman of the Committee 
on Judicial Department and Practice. Mr. 
Bundy toOk a very active part in the Legis- 
lature while a member and won a record of 
which anyone might be justly proud. He 
was a member of the Republican State Cen- 
tral Committee for the Twenty-third Con- 
gressional District of Illinois from 1906 to 
1908. Under the appointment of the Gov- 
ernor, our subject is serving as one of the 
trustees of the Southern Illinois Normal 
University at Carbondale, his alma mater, 
having been appointed early in 1908. He 
has ever kept in touch with the interests of 
his city and county and is an ardent advo- 
acte and liberal patron of all worthy enter- 
prises, making for their advancement and 
prosperity. As a lawyer he is easily the peer 
of any of his professional brethren through- 
out the southern part of the state and the 
honorable distinction, already achieved at 
the bar is an earnest of the still wider sphere 
of usefulness that he is destined to fill, as 
he is yet in the prime of manhood and a 
close observer of the trend of the times and 
an intelligent student of the great questions 
and issues upon which the thought of the 
best minds of the world are centered. 



CHARLES W. HOPKINS. 

Charles W. Hopkins, retired hardware 
merchant of Clay City. Illinois, is well and 
favorably known at the present time as the 
owner of one of the "banner" farms, for- 



merly the property of his parents, of Clay 
county. For fifteen consecutive years Clay 
City was the scene of his successful en- 
deavors as a hardware merchant. He has 
not yet reached His fiftieth year, and while 
he has already "made good" as a citizen 
and a business man, many years of in- 
creased prosperity await him in his farming 
pursuits. 

The subject of our sketch was born in 
Mason county. West Virginia, on January 
12. i860, and was the son of William and 
Adriana (Donnelly) Hopkins. Both par- 
ents were natives of old Virginia, and came 
of good stock. William Hopkins married 
in his native state, resided on a farm there, 
and was a member of the convention called 
to partition the state into the present di- 
visions of east and west. He ran boats on 
the Ohio and Mississippi rivers for thirty- 
five years. During that time he was cap- 
tain of "The Tigress," which General Grant 
pressed into service at Cairo, Illinois, dur- 
ing the progress of the Civil war. All 
through its meteoric career in the military 
service he remained its captain under com- 
mand of the gallant Grant. At Pittsburg 
Landing, Grant made his headquarters upon 
on the boat, and he and the elder Hopkins 
had many chats together. Later then ran 
the blockade at Vicksburg successfully, but 
when they had safely passed the last battery 
"The Tigress" sank, having been shot 
through the hull. At this time Captain 
Hopkins was home on a furlough, and ow- 
ing to the loss of his boat was discharged 
from the service. He then moved with his 



34° 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



family to Illinois, and settled in Clay 
county, in the winter of 1865, having 
bought nearly one thousand acres of land. 
This he was easily able to do as at the time 
of his arrival in Illinois his capital amount- 
ed to something like seventy-five thousand 
dollars. He had previously sold a farm in 
Virginia for forty-three thousand dollars. 
The farm settled in Clay county is now the 
property of the subject of our sketch. In 
1883 William Hopkins retired from his 
farming activities and moved with his fam- 
ily to Flora, Illinois, where he afterwards 
died on July 25. 1887. aged sixty-nine 
years! William Hopkins married three 
times. Our subject was the youngest of 
three children, and his mother died when he 
was only three years of age. One of his 
brothers. Andrew, by name, is now dead. 
His father afterwards married Marian Kel- 
lv, who died in 1873. Later he espoused 
Kate Wilson, who still continues to survive 
him. His second marriage brought Wil- 
liam Hopkins three children, all of whom 
grew to maturity though only one is now- 
living. His third marriage brought him 
one son. Frank, who lives with his mother 
in Evansville, Indiana. 

Charles W. Hopkins remained in the pa- 
rental home up to the time of his marriage 
which occurred on the 15th of March. [883, 
with Mary E. Brissenden in Clay county, 
Illinois. For a number of years he lived 
on a farm near Clay City. Tn the spring 
of 1886, he and his wife removed to Fur- 

- county, Nebraska, where he purchased 
a farm of three hundred and twentv 



acres. There they remained three years, 
when Mrs. Hopkins returned to Clay coun- 
ty, Illinois, on a visit. There she died on 
May 25, 1887. being buried in the Clay 

City cemetery. Our subject s 1 sold his 

Nebraska property and went hack to live in 
Illinois in the fall of 1888. I lis marriage 
resulted in the birth of two girls, Adrianna. 
now the wife of Clayson Black, of Clay 
City, who is engaged in the grocery busi- 
ness, and Sarah A., who lives at the family 
residence. Shortly after his return to Il- 
linois. Charles YV. Hopkins engaged in the 
hardware business in Clay City, continuing 
in the same for fifteen years to a day. De- 
cember 24, 1889, he married Mary Barnes, 
of Clay county, where she was born April 
1, 1 861. She was the daughter of Joseph 
and Ellen (Gardner) Barnes, natives of In- 
diana. They married in the Hoosier state 
and came to Illinois in 1857. settling in 
Clay county, where they remained until 
their deaths. Mrs. Barnes died December 
1. 1866, aged thirty-three years. Her hus 
band married secondly Lou Chapman, a 
willow, but their married life was of short 
duration as she died within two years. Jo- 
seph Barnes died April 2j. iS«>t . aged fifty- 
five years, and was buried in Xenia. I lis 
first wife was buried in Oskaloosa. They 
were the parents of five children, of whom 
two died in infancy, our subject's wife be- 
ing the third in order of birth. 

Charles W. Hopkins sold his hardware 
business on February 19. 1904. remained in 
Clay City until April 20. 1006. and then 
moved to the old homestead of his parents. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



341 



where lie now lives. He owns approximate- 
ly five hundred and seventeen acres of some 
of the best land in Clay county. His pres- 
ent married life has also been a happy one, 
three children having been, born to him; 
two boys and a girl — William B., Charles L. 
and Hazel — all of whom live at home with 
their parents. 

Our subject has always been politically a 
Republican and has served as Supervisor, 
as member of the County Board in Clay 
county for two years, as President of the 
Town Board in Clay City for three terms. 
He is a member of the Modern Woodmen 
of America, Jefferson Lodge No. 1437, at 
Clay City. Mrs. Hopkins is a member of 
the Methodist church in Clay City, and has 
always taken an active part in church af- 
fairs. 



JOSEPH A. ENGLE. 

The present Mayor of Claremont, Rich- 
land county, Joseph A. Engle. is a veteran 
of the Civil war. He was born December 
12, 1829, in Vigo county, Indiana, and was 
the son of John and Hannah Engle. His 
father was a native of the Blue Grass state, 
coming from Kentucky to Indiana with his 
parents in early life. There they settled 
upon a farm in Vigo county, where subse- 
quently the older couple died. John Engle 
at the time of his marriage bought a farm 
of eighty acres in Parke county in the same 
state. The newly married couple remained 
there but a short time, returning to Vigo 



county and purchasing a farm of one hun- 
dred and twenty acres. About this time 
Joseph A. Engle, the subject of our present 
sketch, was born. Later ninety-six acres 
adjoining land was added to the family 
property. Work upon the farm went on 
steadily with good results, and it became 
the permanent family residence. Here his 
father's death occurred in 1863, and his 
mother's the following year. At the time 
of his father's death he was in the army, 
but was home on wounded furlough when 
his mother's death took place. His parents 
are buried in Sulphur Springs Meeting- 
house cemetery, which is but a mile and a 
half from the farm where they died. Jo- 
seph worked manfully on the farm in early 
life and was of much assistance to his par- 
ents. In his youth the homestead was a log 
cabin and the land was in a very raw state. 
He helped materially to change the existing 
condition of affairs. 

His mother was born on the 10th of Jan- 
uary. 18 1 2, and belonged to an old Indiana 
family. Up to the time of her marriage she 
lived with her parents on a farm on the 
banks of Deer creek in Perry county. Her 
father's death preceded her mother's by 
several years. During her married life she 
reared ten children, the oldest of which was 
Joseph. 

In his sixteenth year Joseph A. Engle 
was apprenticed to the blacksmith trade in 
Terre Haute. At the end of his term he 
opened shop for himself, where he contin- 
ued to work and prosper until the outbreak 
of the Civil war. His business as a black- 



342 



I'.loCU M'llli \i. AND KK.MIMM'KNT IUSTOKV OF 



smith necessitate^ the use of three furnaces 
and the help pf several skilled assistants,. 
Plows, were manufactured in his cstablish- 
nient and numerous, wagons and buggies 
were Quipped. \t t liis pe ri< >>1 pf his fife his 
marriage lyitfa Rhoda C. Howell took place 
in February, 1851. I lis wife was born in 
the state. Her father died when she was 
Quite young; her mother, whose maiden 
name was Gookins, survived, him for sev- 
eral years. 

His marriage resulted in a family of five 
children — three hoys and two girls. Four 
grew to maturity, one child dying at the 
age of two years, while its father was 
away on active military service. His wife 
eloped a happy life at the age of sixty-six 
on June 11, [897. She is buried at Sod- 
dom cemetery. Her children's names are: 
Olive. John II., Samuel A., William and 
Mary, who died in infancy, as above record- 
ed. 

Joseph ^ Engle in July, i8(>2, joined 
Company I!, of the Kighty-tifth Regiment 
Indiana Volunteers, under Col. John P. 
Heard, in the western division of the army 
commanded by Sherman. 1 1 is company 
moved to the front via Indianapolis. Cin- 
cinnati and Covington, his company first 
engaging the enemy at Thompson Station. 
Being unwell at this crucial period he did 
not participate, but his brother, who was 
also on the ground fought in the engage- 
ment, lie \ . - 1 flag bearer to the company 
and was captured, being immediately shipped 
to Libby prison, from which place lie was 
later discharged on account of chronic sick- 



ness. Joseph's indisposition, however, was 
only temporary. He was destined to go 
through the thick pf the struggle. He par- 
ticipated in nine of the tierce engagements 
which took place in the vicinity of Georgia. 
lie fought at Buzzard's Rqost, Georgia, 
May 8, i*<>4: at Burned Church on Ma\ 26, 
at Calfsville, May 19th to the 22d; Culp's 
House, June 22d ; Dallas, also known as 
Burnt Hickory. May 25th to June 5th; Dal- 
ton, May 9th and August 14th to 10th and 
October 13th: Lost Mountain. June 9th to 
30th; near Dalton, January 2 1 , 1864; Xew 
Hope Church. May 25th to June 5th: Battle 
of Resaca. May 13th to 16th: Beach Tree 
t reek, July 20th. In this last encounter 
he received a serious wound, a ball striking 
him on the head. After he had lain uncon- 
scious 011 the field for half an hour he was 
found and taken to a hospital. From there 
he was shortly afterwards invalided home, 
where he remained. He received his dis- 
charge at Indianapolis during the latter 
part of 1864. 

On recovering from his wound and the 
wear and tear of the terrible conflict, he 
moved with his family to Richland county, 
where he had s,, me time before acquired 
one hundred and twenty acres. At the end 
of seventeen years of a peaceable farm lite, 
he moved to Olney. where he engaged in 
the grocery business for a few years, when 
he once more moved ti > Clareniont town- 
ship, where his wife dieil in 1897. Shortly 
afterwards he again sold his farm and 
moved into Clareniont. where he purchased 
property. Here a second marriage toqk 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



343 



place on January 18. 1898, when he es- 
poused Laura Stevens, daughter of Edward 
and Alelissa ( Shepherd) Stevens, natives of 
Illinois. She was horn in Lawrence coun- 
ty, February 7, i860. Her father was a 
Civil war veteran. Her mother still lives 
in Lawrence county with a young daughter. 
Her mother was born in 1835, and her 
father in 1836. On the mother's side the 
grandfather of Mrs. Engle was the first 
white child born in Lawrence county. In 
after life thjs relative took an active part 
in the Black Hawk war. 

Joseph A. Eugle's second matrimonial 
venture has proved to be as much a success 
as his first. He has been blessed with two 
more children, Joseph L., and Mary Jo- 
sephine, aged nine and six years respective- 

iy. 

In early life the subject of our sketch at- 
tended about three terms in the old sub- 
scription schools in Parke county, and after- 
wards attended for an equal period the 
schools at Sulphur Springs, Indiana. The 
old time elementary speller and Ray's arith- 
metic were then used ; blackboards were un- 
known ; plain rough planks, propped with 
stout wooden "pins," were used as seats, 
and the high desks ranged along the sides 
of the room for the pupils to write upon. 

Joseph A. Engle's mind is still as vig- 
orous as ever, his health also, though not 
as robust as formerly, is still good. His 
public life has been a most popular one and 
he well maintains his place as Claremont's 
premier citizen. He is well and favorably 
known in fraternal and social circles. He 



was formerly a member of the Ancient Or- 
der of United Workmen, and is a member 
of fhe Grand Army Pqst at Qlney, Illinois. 
Joseph A. Engle's public life began as a 
Ward Supervisor in the Third ward at Ol- 
ney, serving in that capacity for four years. 
The esteem in which he is regarded by his 
fellow citizens may be determined from the 
fact that he is now serving a third term as 
Mayor of Claremont. In politics he has 
been an active Republican from the days of 
the Civil war, and is a vigilant party 
worker. The first time he cast his vote at 
a Presidential election it went to Henry 
Clay, who was then running in the old 
regime as a Whig candidate. He and his 
wife are both active and devoted members of 
the Christian church. They are diligent 
church workers. 



DAVID M. HESTER. 

Among the men of Marion county who 
have appreciated present day opportunities 
and have profited by his ingenuity and per- 
sistency in the business world as a result of 
the favorable conditions existing in the 
great commonwealth of Illinois, is the sub- 
ject of this sketch, David M. Hester, who 
was born in Centralia township, this county, 
August 16, 1 84 1, the son of Milton P. Hes- 
ter, of Clark County, Indiana, who married 
Christina Copple in 1840 in Centralia town- 
ship. Matthias Hester, the subject's grand- 
father, was born in Hanover, Germany, and 



344 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OK 



came with his parents to America. He mar- 
ried a Susannah Huckleberry. He was a 
tanner and he and his wife lived and died 
in Clark county. Indiana. They were the 
parents of twelve children. ( irandfather 
David Copple lived near Walnut Hill, llli- 
nois, on a farm. The father of the subject 
came to Marian county, Illinois, in 1839 
when he was still single and settled near 
Centralia on a farm, remaining here until 
his death in 1905. His first wife died in 
1855 and he was again married, his second 
wife being Martha O. Johnson, of near Mt. 
Vernon. She died in 1890. He was noted 
as a great stock raiser. In politics he was 
a Republican, and was active in church 
work. He was also a promoter of the gen- 
eral good of the public. There were eight 
children born to him by his first union, 
namely: David M., our subject; Julia, de- 
ceased, who married Mark Young, who 
lived in Salem township; William A. is liv- 
ing on a farm near Mt. Vernon; John C. 
is a fanner near Jefferson, Kansas; Sarah 
E. married A. 11. Young, of Centralia; 
Isaac is single and living on a farm in 
Centralia township; Samuel M. is living on 
a farm in Clinton county. Illinois; Mary is 
single and living on the old place. Four 
children were born to Milton P. Hester by 
his second wife, namely: Ella is single and 
living in Centralia; Albertus V. is farming 
mar Dallas, Texas; Carrie married Mark 
Anthony, who is a lumber dealer in Streat<>r, 
this state: Lillian, the fourth child, is the 
wife of George Cams, a locomotive engi- 
neer, living in Centralia. 



As already intimated the subject's father 
located on a farm which he secured from 
the government near Walnut Hill, Marion 
county, in 1S39, securing from five hundred 
to eight hundred acres. Our subject lived 
at home attending the common schools in 
the winter months until he was twenty-one 
years of age. He then went to Kansas and 
located in the eastern part of that state. 
where he remained a short time. When the 
call for troops Was issued to put down the 
rebellion he was one of the patriotic sons of 
the North who responded, having enlisted in 
November, 1861, in Company H, Ninth 
Kansas Cavalry, under General Blunt, re- 
maining in this branch of the service for two 
years. He was in many battles and skir- 
mishes in Arkansas and Missouri, being 
wounded in the left arm and shoulder at 
Cain Hill. He was laid up at the camp 
hospital for smnc time and came home on a 
furlough, but returned to the service, re- 
maining three years and three months, hav- 
ing re-joined his regiment at Duvalls Bluffs, 
Arkansas. He served in such a gallant man- 
ner that he became first lieutenant. After 
the war Mr. Hester returned to Kansas and 
resumed fanning for one year then he came 
back to Centralia. He had a farm in Kan- 
sas consisting of eighty acres. 

Our subject married Sarah A. Young, 
of Salem township, in 1867. She was the 
daughter of Matthew and Sarah (Ware) 
Young. Nine children have been born to 
the subject and wife, four of whom are de- 
ceased. Their names are: Ella, who mar- 
ried I. P. Rogers, of Salem township; Rose, 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



345 



who married William Gaines, of Stevenson 
township; Mathew married Pearl Hopkins 
and is living in Salem township; William is 
living on a farm, having married Effie Mc- 
Coy ; Daisy is living at home. These chil- 
dren received good educations at the home 
schools. Mr. Hester is considered one of 
the best farmers in his community, having 
made all the improvements on the excellent 
farm which he has owned for two score 
years. He successfully carries on general 
farming and raises some excellent stock of 
all kinds. He has about five hundred acres 
of excellent land all in Salem township. He 
is a loyal Republican, but has held no offices, 
being content to lend his influence in placing 
the best men available in the local offices, 
but prefers to manage his business affairs 
and keep out of politics as much as possible. 
He is a member of the Grand Army of 
the Republic, Chandler Post, at Salem. 
Both he and his wife attend the Christian 
church. They are both pleasant people and 
they have a comfortable home. 



JUDGE ALBERT M. ROSE. 

A member of one of the honored pioneer 
families of Clay county, the name Rose has 
long been closely associated with the history 
of this section of the state, and the subject 
of this review, like his father, is numbered 
among the worthy citizens of this locality. 
In business he has always been known to be 
straightforward and reliable, is patriotic in 



citizenship, and his social relations ever 
wholesome. He is esteemed for these com- 
mendable traits of character together with 
his cordial disposition and genuine worth, 
but his name stands out more prominently 
in connection with the bench and bar of 
Southern Illinois, where he has long been a 
prominent figure. 

Albert M. Rose, Judge of the Fourth Ju- 
dicial Circuit, was born in Bible Grove 
township, Clay county, September 26, 1862, 
the son of Drury Rose, a native of Grayson 
county. Kentucky, who came to Illinois in 
1856, settling first in Edwards county, then 
in a short time removed to Clay county. By 
trade a carpenter, but he always took an 
interest in local public affairs and very ably 
served his community as Justice of the 
Peace for a period of sixteen years. He 
moved from Bible Grove township to Clay 
City in 1891, where he lived until his death 
in 1897, closing a busy and useful career, 
mourned by a host of people to whom he 
was known as a kindly and honorable man. 
the paternal grandfather of the subject 
was also a native of Kentucky, who came 
to Illinois when a young man, settling in 
Clay county among the pioneer element, 
where he played well his part in the early 
struggles of the locality and established a 
good home amid primitive conditions. The 
mother of Judge Rose was known in her 
maidenhood as Caroline Ackison. whose 
people were from Pennsylvania. She was 
born in Illinois, spent her life here and 
passed to her rest in 1905, remembered by 
a wide circle of friends as a woman of many 



.u<> 



lUoi.KAPUICAI. AND KKM IN LSCKNT lllSloin o| 



I it-ami ful attributes pf character, In Mr. 
and Mrs. Drurv Rose the fpllowing chil- 
dren were pprn: Mary Jane, wife of Henry 
( 'ruin, pf I'.ihle Qrpye township : Albert M., 
ilie subjgcl of this sketch; Rosa, wife of 
George Sjang, pf Watertown. Illinois; 
Opjielia, wife of Frederick Lyons, of W'ater- 
town, Illinois; Stephen Ft., also liying in 
Watertown. where resides the next child, 
Addie. the wife of William Ausbrpqk; La 
vina. Althea. wife of Godfrey Peterson. 
The ninth and tenth children are deceased. 
Thomas I'... died in the Philippine Islands, 
while a soldier in the regular I "nited States 
army in 1004. Geprgg died in infancy. 

Judge fipse spept his Jjpyhflpd days on 
the farm, where he remained until twenty- 
one years of age. assisting with the wprk 
alx nit the place and storing up the qualities 
of a sturdy manhood, successfully managing 
the farm while his father, who was a car- 
penter, as already intimated, worked at his 
trade. Not satisfied with a common 
schooling and actuated by a desire to fpl- 
low the legal prpfessipn, \lhert M. Rose 
entered Yincennes University from which 
institution he graduated in 1888, having 
made very creditable grades and estab- 
lished an excellent record for scholarship. 
After leaving college Mr. Rose turned his 
attention to teaching which he followed 
with much success until 1S01. winning the 
hearty approbation of both pupils and pa- 
trons, studying law in the meantime, first 
under I Same- & Ramsey, attorneys of 
1 puisyille, in (888, making rapid progress. 
He was admitted to the bar in August, 1890, 
at M<.unt Vernon, and began practice in the 



spring of i8<)i 111 Louisville, where lie has 
been practicing continuously ever since, his 
success having gradually increased until he 
now has a liberal patronage and has be- 
come one of the leading attorneys in the 
southern part of the state. 

The local leaders of tin- Democratic 
paxfy earl}' noted his talents and general 
favor with the public and sought him for 
"ftice. first serving as Trustee of Lppisyille 
for a period of six years, during which 
time he assisted 111 securing the installation 
pf electric Ijghfs and water works, also se- 
cured sidewalks and in many ways rendered 
lasting good to the town. In November, 
1906, Mr. Rose was elected to hi] a vacancy 
in the I'Turth Judicial circuit, the term ex- 
piring in June. IQpg. He has so ably and 
faithfully performed the duties of this re- 
sponsible position, that lie is regarded by all 
concerned as one of the best jurists in the 
district, his decisions showing a trained and 
acute legal mind and a desire to be fair and 
unbiased in all cases, weighing carefully in 
the judicial balance all details of whatever 
case he has in hand, feeling the weight of 
his responsibility and ever desiring to dis- 
charge his duties in a manner that meets 
the approval of his constituents. 

The domestic life of Judge Rose began 
December 28, [892, when he was united in 
marriage with Lulu Branson, of Wayne 
City. Illinois, the talented daughter of Dr. 
J. M. Branson, a well known physician of 
that place. To this union. <><^' son, Robley 
Branson Rose, now a bright lad of fourteen 
years, has been born. 

Tn his fraternal relations the judge is a 



RICHLAND, CLAY - AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



347 



member of the Masonic Brotherhood, also 
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, 
and in politics he affiliates with the Demo- 
cratic party, as intimated in a preceding 
paragraph. Mr. and Mrs. Rose are faith- 
ful members of the Christian church. 

The law office of our subject is always 
a 1 busy place where numerous clients and 
friends of the judge gather, and it is 
equipped with one of the most extensive law 
libraries to be found in this locality. When 
he first began practice^ he formed partner- 
ship with John A. Barnes in 1891, the firm 
being known as Barnes & Rose, but the for- 
mer left the firm in 1896. and the subject 
has had different partners since then. Yet 
in the prime of vigorous manhood and hav- 
ing accomplished so much that merits the 
praise of his fellow men and gained a firm 
standing in the affections of the people of 
this vicinity, the future to such a man as 
Judge Rose must necessarily be replete with 
honor and success. 



HON. THOMAS E. MERRITT. 

During the dark days of the Revolution, 
the colonies had no defender more loyal 
than Ebenezer Merritt, our subject's grand- 
father, who served with valor until captured 
by the British when he was placed in an old 
hulk of a ship in New York harbor. In 
after years he was wont to say that the 
sweetest morsel of food he ever tasted was 
a rotten Irish potato, which he found in his 
prison. 



The father of our subject, Hon. John W. 
Merritt, was born in the city of Albany, 
New York, July 4, 1806, and in his early 
youth evinced a very decided literary taste, 
contributing articles to many of the most 
prominent magazines of that day. Entering 
the practice of law, he built up a lucrative 
business in that line in connection with J. 
J. Brady. Meantime he also invested in 
real estate and so fortunate was he in his 
speculations that he became independent at 
a comparatively early period of life. How- 
ever, the crisis of 1837 destroyed the value 
of his investments and made him a poor 
man once more. Deciding to seek a home 
in the West, Mr. Merritt came to Illinois 
in 1840, and settling in St. Clair county es- 
tablished The Belleville Advocate, which he 
successfully conducted from the year 1848 
until 1 85 1. Meantime he also superin- 
tended the management of his farm and con- 
tributed to eastern magazines and New York 
papers. He also wrote and published a 
novel called "Shubal Darton." Coming to 
Salem in 1851, he established The Advo- 
cate, of which he was proprietor and editor 
for many years. 

In 1 861 he was elected Assistant Secre- 
tary of the Constitutional Convention and 
in the following year became a member of 
the Legislature. 

The State Register at Springfield having 
lost its prestige, Mr. Merritt with his son, 
Edward L., assumed editorial charge of the 
paper in January, 1865, and attempted to 
place it upon a substantial footing. The 
enterprise though not prudent proved a sue- 



348 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



cess. For some years .Mr. Merritt conducted 
its editorial columns with great ability and 
during a portion of that time supplied The 
St. Louis Republican with its Springfield 
correspondence. As an editor he justly at- 
tained celebrity throughout the country and 
was one of the most successful journalists 
of the day. His county may well feel proud 
of his life and labors. He was modest, un- 
assuming, never ambitious for worldly dis- 
tinction and preferring the success of his 
friends to his own. In politics he was an 
old-school Democrat and was one of the 
most influential workers in his party 
throughout the state. He was devoted to 
the doctrines of the Episcopal church and 
was a faithful member of that denomination. 
In disposition mild, he never used profanity 
and was also a man of temperate habits, 
never tasting intoxicating liquor through- 
out his life, lie married in Rochester. Xew 
York, in August, 1827, Julia A. De Forrest, 
who was born in Oswego. New York, and 
there receive 1 a g 1 education. Ten chil- 
dren blessed thi-* union, of whom live are 
now living. 

During his residence in New York, John 
W. Merritt served as Alderman and aided 
in formulating a new plal of the Fifth Ward, 
which he represented in the Council. In 
[860 he was a member of the slate dele- 
gation i" the National Democratic Conven- 
tion at Charleston, South Carolina, later 
was present at the recall of that convention 
in Baltimore, Maryland, where Stephen A. 
Douglas was nominated for the Presidency. 
He was president of the firsl Press Associa- 



tion held in the state of Illinois, and was 
at the time of his demise the oldest Odd 
Fellow in Salem. While uniformly success- 
ful in business enterprises, he nevertheless 
met with reverses and at one time lost by 
fire two valuable blocks of buildings in 
Brooklyn. By bis long and virtuous life he 
left a name to which his descendants may 
point with pride and when. November 16, 
1878, he departed this life, he left many 
warm friends to mourn their loss. The fu- 
neral services were largely attended by the 
citizens of Salem and Marion county, as 
well as many friends from a distance. 

Thomas E. Merritt, our subject, was 
born in the city of New York, April 22, 
1832. He was brought in childhood to 
Illinois and received a good education in 
the schools of Belleville. Before attaining 
his majority he went to St. Louis, where he 
learned the trade of carriage and omnibus 
painting in the shops of Theodore Salom, 
serving a three years' apprenticeship at the 
trade. Afterward he followed the occupa- 
tion for four years in St. Louis. He then 
came to Salem and in 1859 began to read 
law with P. I'. Hamilton, an attorney of this 
place, now deceased. In 1862 he was ex- 
amined before the Supreme Court and was 
admitted to the bar, after which he opened 
an 1 iffice in Salem and has since made this 
city his home. Always a stanch Democrat, 
reared in the faith of that party, Mr. Merritt 
early became an active worker in its ranks. 
Tn i860 in Romine township. Marion 
count v, he made bis first political speech and 
since then has participated in every cam- 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



349 



paign. Until 1875 he stumped every town- 
ship in the county each campaign year. 

The first National Democratic Conven- 
tion that he attended was held in St. Louis 
when S. J. Tilden was nominated President 
in 1876. Later, he was sent as a delegate 
for the state-at-large to the convention that 
nominated Gen. W. S. Hancock, in 1880, 
and the night before the convention met he 
made a speech in favor of Col. W. R. Morri- 
son on the steps of the Burnet House, Cin- 
cinnati. At the next national convention he 
was alternate-at-large, and as Col. W. R. 
Morrison, who was delegate-at-large, was 
appointed on the Committee on Resolutions, 
and obliged to give his entire time to the 
work of that body, Mr. Merritt took his 
place in the convention. It was this assem- 
bly that nominated Grover Cleveland at the 
time of his first term. Our subject was a 
delegate from the Nineteenth Congressional 
District to the convention at St. Louis that 
nominated President Cleveland the second 
term. In 1892, he attended as a citizen the 
convention at Chicago which nominated 
Cleveland the last time. During the three 
campaigns in which that famous man was 
the presidential candidate, our subject made 
fifty-six speeches in Illinois, and at the time 
believed that his party promised more than 
it could fulfill. 

In 1868 Mr. Merritt was elected to the 
State Legislature and was a member of the 
House of Representatives for fourteen con- 
secutive years. In addition he served as 
State Senator for eight years, from 1882 to 
1890, thus making a legislative experience 



of twenty-two years. He was a member of 
the joint session which elected John A. Lo- 
gan three times and defeated him once, also 
the joint session that elected Richard 
Oglesby United States Senator and those 
that elected Shelby M. Cullom and John M. 
Palmer. In 1875, he was a leading member 
of the House when the city judge of East 
St. Louis was to be impeached, and through 
his influence the measure was reconsidered 
and laid on the table. During the same year 
he secured the passage of the first coal mine 
bill through the legislature, which was the 
first act ever passed in the state in the inter- 
est of the coal miners. Hon. John M. Pal- 
mer, State Auditor and Secretary of the 
State, gave to Mr. Merritt the honor of 
passing the bill assessing the capital stock 
of corporations, and he was banqueted after- 
ward. In 1 87 1, he introduced and secured 
the passage of the bill compelling railroads 
to pay for burning property along their 
lines, which has since been warped by the 
construction placed on that act by the Su- 
preme Court. He was prominent in the at- 
tack made upon state officials for extrava- 
gant expenditures, and in that way saved to 
the tax payers of Illinois more than enough 
to pay the entire expenses of that General 
Assembly. His services in that capacity 
were so greatly appreciated throughout the 
state, that many of the papers advocated his 
nomination as Governor of Illinois. Another 
bill introduced by Mr. Merritt was that of 
allowing parties to sue before the Justice of 
the Peace for killing stock along the rail- 
roads. The anarchist bill introduced by him 



35° 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



in 1887. ami passed June 16th of that year. 
was the cause of the greatest fight of his 
life. Afterward it was published by Great 
P.ritain. Frdhce and Russia, while at the 
meeting of the United States National Bar 
Association at Saratoga, \ T ew York, the 
President gave One hour to its consideration 
before that body. Mr. Merritt worked long 
and faithfully upon the 1 > ; 1 1 which finally 
passed, receiving one hundred and eighteen 
votes in the House. 

The Anti-Trust bill. January 22. 1889, 
was the first ever introduced in the state. 
This 1 passed the Judiciary Committee by one 
majority, and the House by one hundred 
votes, but was hung up in the Senate by 
the two-thirds rule. While a member of the 
Senate, Mr. Merritt introduced a bill to 
compel insurance companies to pay the full 
value of the policy for destruction of prop- 
erty. This he passed twice through the 
Senate, and it was defeated in the House. 
He passed it twice in the House and it was 
as many times defeated in the Senate. In 
1868 he introduced in the House a bill se- 
curing the investigation of the proceeds for 
the sale of lands and other moneys Connected 
with Irvington Agricultural College. After 
investigation, the State Auditor and Secre- 
tary of State took possession of the institu- 
tion, and from the wreck saved to the state 
a large ami iUnl 1 f money. 

In [868 Mr. Merritt introduced a resolu- 
tion calling upon the Secretary of State to 
account for the interest received b) him on 
about three million dollars of surplus money 
that was lying idle in the treasury and could 



be used only to pay oft the old state indebt- 
edness which was held by English capital- 
ists in the shape of state bonds, this money 
being set aside to pay the bonds as they be- 
came due. It had been collected from the 
Illinois Central Railroad as seven per cent. 
of its grOSs earnings, and was invested in 
United States ten per cent, gold interest- 
bearing bonds. The resolution introduced 
by Mr. Merritt was to the effect that the 
Governor and Attorney-General of Illinois 
should* look after the interest of this money 
and repOrt their action to the next session 
of the General Assembly. He passed the 
resolution through the House, but by a 
strong lobby it was defeated in the Senate. 
In 1872 three million dollars' worth of these 
bonds became due and were paid in New- 
York in gold, to the English bondholders, 
the Secretary of State having to purchase 
the gold in .Yew York. He notified Gould 
and I'"isk that he would require so much gold 
on that day. By bulling the market, gold 
advanced one-third of one per cent., so that 
the three million dollars paid that much 
premium. The State Treasurer making by 
this deal the interest on United States bonds 
that this money was invested in, came out 
four hundred thousand dollars ahead, which 
was a loss to the people of the state by the 
defeat of the resolution in the Senate. 

Muring Mr. Merritt's entire legislative 
experience, covering a period of twenty-two 
years, it cannot be shown that he ever cast 
a vote against the interests of the people. 
\s one of the delegates of the state-at-large, 
he attended the convention's at St. Louis in 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



351 



July, 1892, and at New Orleans in Febru- 
ary, 1893, in reference to the Nicaragua 
canal. At the latter place, he made a speech 
for Illinois before the convention. He was 
one of the corhmissiohers to locate the In- 
stitute for the Feeble Minded at Quincy, 
Illinois (now at Lincoln), also the Asylum 
for the Incurable Criminal Insane at Ches- 
ter. For ten successive years he served as 
Alderman of Salem. 

From the above account it will be seen 
that Mr. Merritt has been one of the most 
prominent Democrats in Illinois, and he still 
occupies a foremost position among the 
leaders of that party. His work in behalf 
of the people of the state entitles him to a 
high place in their regard, and his name will 
be deservedly perpetuated in the annals of 
the state as a loyal, able and eminent man. 
From the press of the country he has re- 
ceived the highest of commendation for his 
unwearied services in the interests of the 
people as well as for his great ability. 

The State Register said of him that, 
"The man who wields the keenest satire is 
Merritt, of Marion". The Mount Vernon 
Free Press paid him the following tribute : 
"He is always awake to the interests of 
southern Illinois, and no influence, let it 
come from what source it may, is ever able 
tn swerve hirft from the path of duty to his 
constituents and the people generally". An- 
other paper says of him : "Merritt is a wit, 
besides he is a good fellow and everybody 
likes him. He never rises but he commands 
the attention of the House. He is a Bour- 
bon of Bourbons". In addition to his other 



services, previously mentioned, he was a 
member of various committees of import- 
ance. To him belongs the honor of having 
nominated both William R. Morrison and 
John M. Palmer for United States Senator. 
On the 3d of February, 1862, Mr. Mer- 
ritt was married to Alice McKinney, a na- 
tive of Jefferson county, Illinois, and a 
daughter of William McKinney, who was 
killed in battle in the Civil war. Four 
daughters and three sons have blessed this 
union, as follows: Addis D.. Frank F., 
Clara, Harriet, Lottie, Edith and Harold. 
In religious belief Mrs. Merritt is a devoted 
member of the Episcopal church. 



JOHN M. SCHULTZ. 

No man in Marion county is more de- 
serving of the success he has attained in 
business and political circles than John M. 
Schultz, not alone because of the splendid 
results he has achieved, but also because of 
the honorable, straightforward business pol- 
icy he has ever followed. 

John M. Schultz, Circuit Clerk, was bom 
in Salem, Illinois, January 30, 1867. He is 
the son of Ephraim Schultz, a native of 
Kentucky, who came to Illinois when 
a young man, first settling in Alma 
township on a farm. He moved to 
Salem a short time before the Civil war, 
and continued to live in this place up to his 
death about 1895. He was successful 
farmer and business man and retained the 



352 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



well-wishes of those who knew him. David 
Schultz was the subject's grandfather, a na- 
tive of Germany. Mrs. Becky Frizzell, who 
is living in Foster township, an aunt oi our 
subject, lias reached the advanced age of 
ninety years. She is a sister to Ephraim 
Schultz. The subject's father was twice 
married, his second wife being the mother 
of the subject of this sketch. His first wife 
was a Miss Crawford, who was born in 
Baltimore. Maryland. Five children were 
born to his first wife, two of whom are liv- 
ing at this writing. The mother of the sub- 
ject's father was Hannah Hull, who was 
born in Hull, England. The maiden name 
of the subject's mother was Kissie Mar- 
shall, a native of Tennessee, who came to 
Marion county in an early day. She was 
called to her rest twenty years ago, in 1888. 
Eight children were born to the father and 
mother of the subject, four of whom are 
living, namely: Mrs. Millie Siefmau, of 
Centralia, Illinois; Mrs. Charles Martin, of 
Davenport, Iowa; Elizabeth Schultz, who 
is living in Salem; Joseph Schultz. de- 
ceased; Christian and Mary died in infancy. 
David and Samuel Schultz. of Salem, Il- 
linois, who were both in the Twenty-first Il- 
linois Volunteer Infantry, were sons of a 
former marriage, also John Schultz. who 
was killed when seventeen years old on the 
battlefield of Resaca, (ieorgia. He was in 
the One Hundred and Eleventh Illinois 
Volunteer Infantry. William Schultz. an- 
other son of the first marriage is de- 
ceased : also a daughter, Lydia, who mar- 
ried George Jennings, of Patoka, this coun- 
ty, and died several years ago. Hannah 



Belle, another daughter of Mr. and Mrs. 
Ephraim Schultz, and sister of our subject, 
who became the wife of | .. <;. Finch, was 
a teacher in the public schools of Salem for 
several years. She passed to her rest two 
.cars ago, in February, H)0(). 

Joseph Schultz, a brother of the subject's 
father, was captain in the One Hundred and 
Eleventh Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He 
was afterward Sheriff of Marion county. 
also postmaster of Salem and Revenue Col- 
lector. David Schultz, another brother of 
Ephraim Schultz, was wagon master in the 
One Hundred and Eleventh Illinois Volun- 
teer Infantry. 

John M. Schultz. our subject, spent his 
boyhood days in Salem, attending the local 
schools in which he made a splendid record, 
receiving a fairly good education. 

Mr. Schultz was an industrious lad and 
soon cast about for the best way in which to 
direct his life work. He decided to be a 
mechanic. He is always a. very busy man, 
for his work is satisfactorily done and bis 
business has steadily grown, owing to the. 
fair treatment he accords his customers. 
Fraternally he is a member of the Wood- 
men, lie is a loyal Democrat, and was 
nominated and triumphantly elected Circuit 
Clerk in [908, his election being regarded 
as a most fortunate one by his many friends. 
Mr. Schultz has remained unmarried. I lis 
sister. Elizabeth, keeps house for him. He 
is well known in Marion county, being in- 
terested in whatever lias tended to promote 
the interests of the county in any way. He 
is accurate, persistent and painstaking' in 
his business affairs. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



353 



H. N. WOODWARD. 

The subject of this sketch is a man of 
courage, self-reliance and of the utmost in- 
tegrity of purpose, as a result of which he 
has. during his entire life stood high in the 
estimation of his neighbors and friends and 
is therefore deserving of a place in this 
book. 

H. N. Woodward was born in Des 
Moines county, Iowa, in 1855, the son of 
Abner M. and Silvia (Scogin) Woodward. 
His paternal grandfather was born in New 
Jersey. He moved to Ohio and devoted his 
life to farming. Like all his people, he was 
a Quaker in his religious affiliations. Grand- 
mother Scogin was born in Kentucky, and 
lived to be eighty-two years old, rearing a 
large family of fifteen children. She was 
twice married. Grandfather Scrogin was 
born in November in the memorable year 
in our country's history — 1812. 

The father of the subject of this sketch 
was born in Ohio and received his early ed- 
ucation in the public schools there and after 
that he received an academic education. He 
left Ohio before he was twenty-one years 
of age and went with his mother to Iowa, 
and settled on a farm near Burlington, 
where he remained for some time. He 
later went South about the close of the war 
to the Polk plantation, for the purpose of 
managing negroes under the Freemen's Bu- 
reau, and from there he went to Mississippi, 
later spending two years in Tennessee, hav^ 
ing spent one year in Mississippi in a very 
responsible position, which was filled to the 
2 2> 



entire satisfaction of the Bureau. They 
gave him fine letters commending his course 
and the results of his work while there. 
He then bought a farm in Marion county, 
Illinois, in 1866, and farmed with much suc- 
cess for a period of thirteen years. He then 
formed a partnership with Colonel Morri- 
son, in Odin, for earning on a grain busi- 
ness which partnership continued for a 
period of eight years, when he bought out 
Colonel Morrison's interests and Mr. Wood- 
ward retained his interest until his death. 

In 1886 the Odin Coal Company was put 
in operation, and Mr. Woodward financed 
the corporation. He was secretary and 
later treasurer of the same and always a 
director, having remained such until his 
death which occurred in 1890. He was a 
loyal Mason. The mother of the subject is 
living in 1908, at the age of eighty years. 
She is a fine old lady with many beautiful 
attributes. There are six children in this 
family, four of whom lived to maturity. 

H. N. Woodward, our subject, first at- 
tended the public schools in Marion county, 
but thirsting for higher learning he entered 
the University of Illinois, where he made a 
splendid record for scholarship. After leav- 
ing college he decided to continue the work 
which he knew the most about — farming, 
and he followed this until he was twenty- 
seven years old. He went into the grain 
and hay business by purchasing Colonel 
Morrison's business. He was successful in 
this from the first, more so, in fact, than at 
farming; however, every year he devoted to 
farm work added to his competence, for he 



354 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENl HISTORY OF 



was a cartful and conservative manager. He 

has enlarged his latter line of business until 
he How carries on a general merchandising 
establishment. In igba the same was in- 
corporated since which time Mr. Woodward 

has been president and is the largest stock- 
holder, being the active manager, under 
whose able direction the business has in- 
creased to a satisfactory state and is rap* 
idl\ growing. 

After the death of his father, our subject 
was director and treasurer of the Odin Coal 
Company, which position he ably retained 
for a period of twelve years. He is at pres- 
ent connected with the Marion County Coal 
Company, of Junction City, a corporation. 
Mr. Woodward was a director in the same, 
but is not at present. In all his business deal- 
ings he has been regarded by every one as a 
man of unusual tact and shrewdness and 
ever fair and honest. Success seems to at- 
tend his efforts in whatever line he under- 
takes. 

Mr. Woodward was united in marriage in 
1883 with Agnes Ferguson, daughter of 
William and Eliza (Hildreth) Ferguson, 
natives of Ohio, where they lived on a farm. 
Five children have been born to the subject 
and wife. named in order of birth as follows: 
Grace, born in 1884. is living at home with 
her parents; Lucile. the second child, was 
born in 1886. is single and living at home: 
Nils, n was born in 1888, and is deceased; 
having died in (890; Edwin was horn in 
[893, and is attending high school in [908; 
\gncs. who was born in 1807. is also a pu- 
pil in the Odin schools. 



Mr. Woodward, in his fraternal relations, 
is a member of the Masonic fraternity and 
the Woodmen. In politics he is a Repub- 
lican, taking considerable interest in the af- 
fairs of his party, especially in reference to 
the local officials. Roth he and his wife arc- 
faithful members of the Methodist church. 
The former takes a great interest in educa 
tional matters. He is known as a man of 
industry and frugality. He has a beautiful 
home at Odin. 



FRED W. SCHILT. 

The subject of this sketch is one of the 
progressive agriculturists of Richland, 
whose tine farm ranks with the best in this 
localitv. having been impnned by Mr. 
Schilt to its present high state of excellency 
by years of patient toil and skillful man- 
agement. His success has been won entire- 
Iv along lines of old and time-tried max- 
ims, "honesty is the best policy," and "there 
is no excellence without labor." 

Fred W. Schilt was born in the township 
where he now resides. March 1. 1808, the 
son of Christian and Barbara (Schilt) 
Schilt. native- of Canton Bern, Switzer- 
land, who came to the United States with 
their parents. John Schilt. the subject's pa- 
ternal grandfather, also emigrated to the 
United States, bringing his wife and chil- 
dren in 1852, and settled in Claremont 
township. Richland county. He improved 
a good farm on which he lived until his 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



355 



death. Christian was a young man when 
the family came to this country. He soon 
afterward bought a farm in Preston town- 
ship which lie improved and he married 
here. He had a brother in the Civil war. 
He remained on his farm in Preston town- 
ship until his death. May 12. 1889. at the 
age of sixty-two years. His widow is still 
living on the old homestead. Of nine chil- 
dren born to them, six are living in 1908, 
our subject having been the seventh in or- 
der of birth. 

Fred W. Schilt was reared on a farm in 
Preston township and received a common 
school education, having remained at home 
assisting with the work on the place until 
he was twenty-one years old. He then 
bought a farm of ninety acres in German 
township, where he soon located and where 
he lived and prospered for twelve years, 
during which time he bought forty-five 
acres more. In the fall of 1902 he became 
a candidate for County Treasurer on the 
Democratic ticket and was subsequently 
elected. This resulted in his removal to 
Olney, where he carried on the duties of 
this office in a manner that reflects much 
credit on his native ability and careful busi- 
ness methods. When his term of four years 
expired his successor found the affairs of 
this office in a most excellent shape. He 
had previously served in a praiseworthy 
manner as Supervisor for two terms of two 
years each, having been chairman of the 
County Board for one term. After retiring 
from the Treasurer's office he resided in Ol- 
ney for one year, and in tqo; located on 



his present fine farm of one hundred and 
twenty acres in Preston township, about 
four and one-half miles north of Olney, 
which he had recently bought. It is one of 
the best farms in the township, well fenced, 
well drained, and on it stand a commodious 
dwelling and convenient outbuildings, in- 
cluding a large barn, recently erected. Gen- 
eral farming is carried on and much atten- 
tention is given to stock raising, especially 
cattle and hogs, the latter of the Berkshire 
breed, of which Mr. Schilt always has some 
fine specimens to show. He has an orchard 
of sixteen acres of carefully selected trees, 
which bear a good quality of fruit. 

Mr. Schilt was united in marriage Au- 
gust 25, 1889, to Anna Jorris. a native of 
Poland, Indiana, daughter of Peter and Al- 
etta (Mermon) Jorris. natives of Germany, 
having been born near the Rhine river, who 
came to the United States when young, 
married here and settled in Wisconsin, later 
lived in Indiana and Illinois. Mrs. Schilt's 
father died in Poland, Indiana. October 25, 
1891, and his wife died in 1898. 

Mr. and Mrs. Schilt are the parents of 
four children, namely: Verna May. Chris- 
tian Franklin Jorris; Esther Magdalena and 
Paul Frederick Foster. 

The subject in his fraternal relations is 
a member of the Moodem Woodmen of 
America at Dundas. He and his wife are 
members of the German Reformed church 
in Preston township, the former being a 
deacon in the same, having served several 
years as such. In manner Mr. Schilt is 
cordial, in disposition, genial : in tempera- 



356 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



ment, kindly, and his many sterling traits 
have won for him the warm friendship of 
those with whom he has been brought into 
contact. 



JOHN SEII.KK. 



Switzerland is a small country, but no 
foreign nation has sent to the United States 
a larger number of law-abiding and indus- 
drious citizens in proportion to its size. 
They are almost without exception, pro- 
gressive, honorable, thrifty and among our 
best citizens. The subject of this sketch, 
one of Preston township's substantial farm- 
ers, is a worthy representative of this type, 
having spent many years in Richland coun- 
ty, during which he has not only benefited 
himself, but also those with whom he has 
o Mie in contact. 

John Seiler was born in Hern. Switzer- 
land, September 12. 1833, the son of Wil- 
liam and Anna Seiler, also natives of 
Switzerland, where they were reared and 
where they married. They emigrated to 
the United States in 185 1, crossing the At- 
lantic in an old sailing vessel, encountering 
a severe storm on the way which delayed 
them and they were seven weeks making 
the voyage. The lives of all on board were 
imperiled, the waves having washed over 
the vessel, and the baggage was thrown 
from one side to the other of the ship and 
members of the Seiler family narrowly es- 
caped being injured by coming in contact 
with the baggage, etc. Many times the 



passengers thought that it was impossible 
to save the ship, hut it finally arrived at 

Xew Orleans on Christmas day, 1N51. The 
Sellers soon afterward took a boat up the 
Mississippi and Wabash rivers to Yiu- 
cennes, Indiana. The first week in Jan- 
uary they secured a four horse team to car- 
ry their effects to Richland county, where 
William Seiler bought one hundred and 
twenty acres of land in Preston township, 
on which the family located. The trip from 
Vincennes was a very difficult one. the 
roads being poor and very muddy. The 
older members of the family walked to their 
destination. It cost one thousand dollars 
to bring the family to this country under 
the most trying conditions and pool- con- 
veniences in transportation. The land 011 
which the Seders located was prairie, a few- 
acres of which had been broken, and on it 
stood a log house and stable. These im- 
provements had been made by the predeces- 
sor iif Mr. Seiler, the former having lived 
on it two years. The new comers at rice 
began work on the place and improved it. 
building a comfortable home and making a 
good living. William Seiler did not live 
long after coming to the United States, 
having died on his farm at the age of fifty- 
seven years. His wife survived until she 
reached the age of seventy. They were the 
parents of seven children, all of whom 
grew to maturity. John being the fourth in 
order of birth. One son, Peter Seiler. 
served in the Civil war a short time before 
I lie close, and continued in the regular 
army for three vears. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



357 



John Seiler, our subject, was reared in 
his native land, in which he remained un- 
til he was nineteen years old and there re- 
ceived a good common school education. 
He came to the United States with his par- 
ents and continued to reside on the home- 
stead after his father's death for several 
years. In the meantime he began buying 
land, at first securing fifteen acres which is 
a part of the present farm. He later add- 
ed to the same and built a good frame 
house on the place on which he located in 
1 86 1. Here he has continued to live ever 
since, having prospered from the first as a 
result of his good management. At one 
time he owned five hundred acres in Rich- 
land and Jasper counties, but in late years 
he has sold much of it to his children, now 
owning two hundred and sixty acres. His 
is one of the model farms of Richland 
county. He has been enabled to live well 
all these years and to give his children a 
good start in life. He is now living in re- 
tirement from the active working of his 
lands. 

Mr. Seiler was united in marriage No- 
vember 22, 1855, to Mary Zerbe, a native 
of Stark county, Ohio, the daughter of 
Amos and Susanna (Klingman) Zerbe. the 
former a native of Maine, and the latter of 
Lancaster county. Pennsylvania. Her fa- 
ther came to Ohio when a small boy and 
was reared in Stark county, where be was 
married and in 1848 he came to Richland 
county, settling in Preston township. He 
later returned to Ohio, but died in Preston 
township at the age of seventy years. His 



widow survived for several years and died 
in Richland county when seventy-five years 
old. 

Mr. and Mrs. John Seiler are the parents 
of twelve children, namely: John, who died 
at the age of seven years; Susan, Anna, 
Christian, Peter, Elizabeth, Mary, Rosetta, 
Henry Amos, Emma Louisa. William 
Charles, Ernest Wesley. They have been 
educated in the home schools. 

In politics Mr. Seiler is a Republican, but 
has never taken a very active part in his 
party's affairs. He and bis family are 
members of the Methodist Episcopal church 
in Preston township. 

Since coming to this county Mr. Seiler 
has lived to see great changes, towns and 
villages have sprung up and fertile farms 
have been developed from the wild prairie 
and the wilderness, and marked progress 
has been made along educational, social and 
moral lines. What has been accomplished 
for the substantial benefit and material im- 
provement of the county has been of much 
interest to our subject and the active co- 
operation which he has given to measures 
for the general good is worthy of notice in 
the reckoning of what has been accom- 
plished here. 



ANDREW SHANAFELT. 

Among the well known citizens of Ma- 
rion county who have finished their labors 
and gone to their reward, the name of An- 



358 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY <)!•' 



drew Shanafelt is deserving of e*pecial no- 
tice, lie was a pioneer himself and the son 
of a pioneer. 1 le was one of the sterling yeo- 
men, whose labors ami self-sacrifice made 
possible tin- advanced state of civilisation 
and enlightenment for which southern I Hi- 
nois has long Ih-i'h noted. 

Vndrew Shanafelt was bora August 5, 
is_'i. in Licking countyi ( Hug, where his 
parents, Peter and Catherine (Cover) Shan- 
afelt. settled in a very early day, making the 
journey from their native state of Pennsyl- 
vania by means of a sled and experiencing 
man} hardships and suffering on the way. 
Peter Shanafelt purchased a tract of heavily 
timbered land which by dint of hard work 
he finally succeeded in clearing and reduc- 
ing to cultivation and on which he died, 
shortly after becoming situated so as to live 
comfortably. His wife, who survived him 
a number of years and for some time prior 
to her death, which occurred in Marion 
county, Illinois, at the age of seventy seven, 
made her home with her children. The fam- 
ily of Peter and Catherine Shanafelt con- 
sisted of nine children, seven sons and two 
daughters, the subject of this sketch being 
the youngest of the number. Both parents 
were of German extraction and representa- 
tives of ..Id families which immigrated to 
the United States in an early day and set- 
tled in Pennsylvania, where numerous de- 
scendants still live. 

Andrew Shanafelt was reared on the 
home farm in Ohio, early learned by prac- 
tical experience, the true meaning of hard 



well able to cope with the difficulties and 
discouragements which life had in stoic for 
him. After remaining in his native county 
until 1X47, he disposed of his holdings there 
and came to Marion county. Illinois, where 
for some time he labored as a farm hand. 
subsequently renting a farm near the vil- 
lage of Odin. On March 22, 1S49. he was 
united in marriage with Katherine Johnson, 
of Licking county, Ohio, and two years fol- 
lowing that event, purchased forty acres of 
land near Odin, on which he lived and pros- 
pered until the summer of 1856, when he 
sold the place and bought one hundred and 
twenty acres, which he made his home to 
the end of his days and on which his widow 
-till resides. 

Mr. Shanafelt lalx>red long and diligently 
to reduce the latter place to cultivation and 
make it profitable, the land being about half 
timber and half prairie, on which no im- 
provements of any kind had l>een previously 
attempted. He addressed himself resolutely 
to his task, however, and after working 
f..r a number of years and experiencing 
many hardships and privations, finally suc- 
ceeded in developing a tine farm and placing 
himself in independent circumstances. 
Methodical in directing his labors and emi- 
nently progressive in his methods of cul- 
tivating the soil, he became widely known 
as a model farmer while in business matters 
his sound judgment and wise forethought 
enabled him to take advantage of uufav. .r 
able conditions and mould them to suit his 
purposes. As a citizen he ranked high and 



\\..rk and grew up strong and vigorous and was ever public spirited in matters relating 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



359 



to the material improvement of the county 
and the moral progress of those ahout him. 
Few men in the community were as much 
esteemed or showed themselves more wor- 
thy of the regard of the people of the com- 
munity and throughout a long and emi- 
nently useful life he discharged his every 
duty as he would answer to his conscience 
and his God. 

Mrs. Shanafelt, who is still living at the 
ripe old age of seventy-eight years, is a 
daughter of William and Rachel (McClel- 
land) Johnson, the former a native of Mary- 
land, the latter of Licking county, Ohio. 
She shared her husband's fortunes and vicis- 
situdes, encouraged him by her wise counsel 
ami judicious advice and being in every 
sense of the word a helpmeet, contributed 
not a little to the success which he achieved. 
Ten children were bora to this couple, three 
of whom are deceased, viz : Elizabeth, Wil- 
liam and Isaac ; those surviving are Adam, 
a farmer of Salem township ; Rachel, wife 
of T. M. Branch, of Salem township ; Mary, 
who married John R. Branch, of Marion 
county ; Susanna, now Mrs. Riley Farthing, 
of Salem; Martha J., wife of Frank Young, 
also of Salem ; Samuel and David, prosper- 
ous farmers of the township of Salem. 

In his political views, Mr. Shanafelt was 
a Democrat, but aside from serving as 
School Director and Supervisor, never as- 
pired to public position. He was always in- 
terested in what made for the advancement 
of the county and the development of his re- 
sources, believed in enterprise in all the term 
implies and had great faith in the future of 



Marion county and the progress of its peo- 
ple. He lived with the greatest good of his 
fellow men ever in view and reached the ad- 
vanced age of eighty years, retaining to a 
marked degree, the possession of his phys- 
ical and mental powers. On May ist of 
the year 1901, he died very suddenly of 
heart failure, and it goes without the say- 
ing that his loss was deeply felt and pro- 
foundly regretted by the large circle of 
neighbors and friends with whom he had 
been so long associated. Since his death, 
his widow has resided on the family home- 
stead and although nearly eighty years old, 
she feels few of the infirmities incident to 
advanced age, having remarkable action, 
and able to attend to all her household du- 
ties, besides manifesting a lively interest 
in the labors of the farm. She has spent 
her entire life within the geographical lim- 
its of Marion county and has yet to take her 
first ride behind a locomotive. Although 
circumscribed within a narrow area, she is 
quite intelligent and well informed and 
keeps in touch with the times on all matters 
of general and local interest. 

William Johnson, father of Mrs. Shana- 
felt, was taken to Ohio when thirteen years 
old, and grew to manhood in Licking 
county. He was reared a farmer and in clue 
time married Miss Rachel McClelland, who 
bore him four children before he disposed of 
his interests in Ohio and moved, in 1842, to 
Marion county, Illinois. He made the jour- 
ney to his new home by wagon and after 
purchasing eighty acres of wild prairie land, 
addressed himself to the labor of improving 



360 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCEN1 HISTORY OF 



.1 farm and providing for those dependent 
upon him. His first dwelling was a hewed 
log building with a large fire-place for heal 
ing and cooking, such modern articles as 
Stoves and carpets being unknown in the 
pioneer homes of those days and the good 
wife and mother was obliged to attend to 
her many duties with but few of the con- 
veniences now found in the humblest of 
households. 

Mr. Johnson and family lived after the 
manner of the typical pioneers of the early 
times and experienced not a few hardships 
and privations ere the farm was fully devel- 
oped and capable of producing a comfort 
able livelihood. In the course of time, how- 
ever, lie added to his original purchase and 
became one of the enterprising and well-to- 
do fanners of his township, besides taking 
an influential part in the development of 
the community along other than material 
lines. He lived to see Marion county grow 
fn.m a sparsely settled prairie to one of the 
most enterprising and progressive sections 
oi Southern Illinois, ami with strong arm 
and clear brain, contributed his share to 
wards bringing about the many changes 
that are now apparent, lie departed this 
life at tin- ripe "Id age of eighty-one, his 
wife dying several years later, when seventy- 
eight years old. A daughter, Mrs. Lavina 
R< 3S, lives on the family homestead at the 
present time and a son by the name of 
Isaac served in the late Civil war as a mem- 
ber of the line Hundred and Eleventh Illi- 
nois Infantry. Mrs. Shanafelt being one of 
the sc\cn surviving members of the family. 



FRANKLIN (ilLBERT BOGGS. 

The subject was born November 30, 
[854, on the old Boggs homestead in Rac- 
coon township, Marion county, the son of 
James Clark Boggs, who was horn in Jef- 
ferson county, this state. April 3, 1828, and 
reared, educated and married in Marion 
county. He married Margaret Hicklin, 
who was horn February 23, 1834, in Lin- 
coln county, Tennessee. James C. Boggs 
was the son of Spruce Boggs, who married 
Martha 11. Kell, January 21, 1825. They 
were of North Carolina. They were mem- 
bers of the Reformed Presbyterian church, 
and gave the land on which to build the 
church, and were active in church work. 
Me was horn May 9, 1X08. They came to 
Jefferson county, Illinois, in the early twen- 
ties and were the first settlers in Rome town- 
ship, the north part. He got wild land here, 
and in those days the Indians were quite 
troublesome and ate most of his crop the 
first year. There was an abundance of wild 
game then. He was a hard working, rugged 
man. and won success despite obstacles, 
through his agricultural labors. He and 
his wife died on the place. They were the 
parents of fourteen children, seven of whom 
grew to maturity. They are all now de- 
ceased. Those wdio grew up were: Thomas, 
Clark. William. John. Sarah, Joseph and 
Hugh. The snhject's grandfather, William 
Hicklin. was a native of South Carolina. 
He married Ann Sloan, of that state. They 
went to middle Tennessee where they re- 
mained for a number of years after their 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



36l 



marriage, and they went later to Randolph 
county, Illinois, and then to Marion county, 
settling in Raccoon township, where they 
secured wild land in section 27, having got 
eighty acres of government land, which they 
developed into a good farm, and on which 
they died. They were the parents of four 
children, John, Margaret, Betsy J. became 
the wife of T. B. Parkinson, of Raccoon 
township, this county ; Florida A. lives in 
Raccoon township, the widow of Benjamin 
Cook. The subject's father received only a 
limited education. However, he was self- 
learned. When a young man he taught 
school. He was reared on his father's old 
homestead and lived at home until he was 
twenty-one years old, after which he was at 
different places for awhile. When he bought 
eighty acres of land in section 34, Raccoon 
township, on which he made his home until 
in April, 1862, when he enlisted in Company 
H, Eightieth Illinois Volunteer Infantry. 
He was in several engagements, among 
which was the great battle of Stone River. 
In fording the river there the troops had to 
wade the water up to their arm pits. The 
subject's father was very warm at the time, 
and the cold water caused him to take a 
severe cold, which resulted in his death on 
April 6, 1863. He was buried in the Na- 
tional cemetery at Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 
His wife remained on the place until her 
death, September 3, 1893. They were mem- 
bers of the Reformed Presbyterian church. 
Mr. Boggs was a Justice of the Peace and a 
Republican in politics. Mr. and Mrs. James 



Clark Boggs were the parents of four chil- 
dren, namely: William, who died single at 
the age of nineteen ; Franklin Gilbert, our 
subject ; Mary A., the wife of E. R. Davis, 
who now lives on the old Boggs place in 
Raccoon township; Florida married Joseph 
C. Telford, _ a farmer in Raccoon township. 
The subject of this sketch was educated 
in the home schools and lived at home until 
he reached the age of twenty-four years. 
He was united in marriage December 6, 

1877, to Emma Xorfleet, who was born in 
Tennessee, the daughter of Benjamin F. and 
Josephine (Hamlett) Xorfleet, who now 
live in Raccoon township, and whose sketch 
appears in full in this work. Three sons 
have been born to the subject and wife, as 
follows : Vivian O., was born December 25, 

1878. He is in the mercantile business in 
Mounds and Dongola. Illinois, making his 
home in the latter town. He married Anna 
May Eimer, of Bellville, Illinois, and they 
have one son, Leland. Vivian O. was a 
stenographer and teacher previous to going 
into the mercantile business. He attended 
school at Carbondale, Illinois, and took a 
business course at Centralia. He is a bright 
young business man. Victor, the subject's 
sdneco child, was born September 30, 1880. 
He attended school at Carbondale, Illinois, 
and at the University of Valparaiso, Indi- 
ana, where he made a brilliant record for 
scholarship. He is a graduate in pharmacy. 
He is now in St. Louis, engaged in carpen- 
try and building, also real estate. He buys 
lots and builds on them for investment pur- 



& 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



po§es. I [e married l\a WAatt on Septem- 
ber _'4. i<)oN. Karl, the subject's youngest 
son, was born August 22, 1S87. lie is a 
fanner and carpenter at Fruti, Colorado, 
where he is doing well. He attended the 
Centralis schools. 

After 1877 the subject located on his pres- 
ent farm in section 34, Raccoon township, 
where he purchased forty acres. It was a 
new place, but the subject was a hard 
worker and soon developed a line farm, well 
improved in every respect, and his home is 
one of the finest in Raccoon township. He 
does must all his own carpenter work, being 
naturally a skilled workman. He also owns 
one hundred and thirty-one acres of well 
improved and very productive land in sec- 
tions -.7. 34 and 35, in this township. He 
has a very valuable orchard. He raises fine 
fruits of all varieties, and he used to raise a 
great many strawberries. No small part of 
Mr. Boggs' income is derived from his live 
stock. He always keeps a good grade, his 
Duroc and Jersey hogs being especially well 
bred. 1 le has also been extensively engaged 
in the poultry business for the past seventeen 
years, raising mostly Barred Plymouth 
Rock chickens. He carries on a general 
farming, and his place shows thrift, good 
management and industry, being all in all 
one of the most desirable farms in the town- 
ship. 

Mr. Hoggs is a stanch Republican and a 
faithful memher of the United Presbyterian 
church. He is well read on modern topics, 

rj he makes all his friends and acquaint- 
ance- feel at home when they visit him. 



JUDGE JOHN R. BOXXKY. 

To present the leading facts m the life of 
one of Clay county's busy men of affairs 
and throw light upon some of his more pro- 
nounced characteristics is the task in hand 
in placing before the reader the following 
biographical review of Judge John R. II011- 
ney. who has. while yet in the prime of vig- 
orous manhood, won a conspicuous place in 
the leoal world of this localitv. who. Eor 
many years has stood in the front rank in 
his profession in a county well known for 
its splendid arrayof legal talent, lie long 
ago succeeded in impressing his strong per- 
sonality upon the community in which he 
now lives, and where for a quarter of a cen- 
tury he has been a forceful factor in di- 
recting and controlling important move- 
ments looking to the development of Clay 
comity, whose interests he has ever had at 
heart, and where he has labored for the 
general good -while advancing his own in- 
terests, which he has done in such a man- 
ner as to win the hearty commendation of 
all who know him. 

John R. Ronnev was born on a farm in 
Monroe county, Illinois. April 2~ . [848, the 
son of Philip (.'. Bonney, a native of Cum- 
berland county. Maine, who came West in 
[840, settling at Waterloo. Monroe county. 
Illinois. The subject's father was a mem- 
bei of Company A. Thirty-first Illinois 
Volunteer Infantry, which was commanded 
by Gen. John A. Logan, lie was through 
all tlie Yicksburg campaign and partici- 
pated in many battles. He died in Jackson 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



363 



county. Illinois, in 1863, from the effects of 
exposure while in the service, having lived 
only three days after he returned home 
from the army. 

Thomas Bonney, the subject's grand- 
father, was born in England. The mother 
of the judge was Mary Fisher in her maid- 
enhood, whose people were from Tennessee. 
She lived to the advanced age of eighty- 
seven years, having died in Louisville. Il- 
linois, May 12, 1908. The judge's parents 
were people of much sterling worth and 
reared their children in a wholesome home 
atmosphere which has had a marked effect 
upon their subsequent lives. The names of 
their eight children follow : Marshall and 
DeGrass both died in infancy ; Lyman died 
in 1887; John R. was the fourth child in 
order of birth; Rowland died in 1875; Wil- 
liam died in 1905; Samuel died when three 
years old; Olive is the wife of A. L. Bar- 
nett. Sheriff of Searcy county, Arkansas. 

Judge Bonney received a good common 
school education, despite the fact that op- 
portunities for being educated in the early 
days were limited, yet he was an ambitious 
youth and applied himself as best he could 
to whatever books that fell into his hands. 
His business and professional career briefly 
stated, is as follows : 

He was one of the men of Illinois to offer 
his services in behalf of the Union during 
the Rebellion, having enlisted in 1865, and 
served until the close of the war. Return- 
ing home he began blacksmithing, at which 
he worked with success from 1866 to 1873. 
Being still desirous of gaining a higher ed- 



ucation, he then entered Shurtliff College, 
Upper Alton, Illinois, in 1873, in which he 
remained for two years, making rapid 
progress, after which he began teaching in 
Clay county, having taught during 1876 
and 1877, in a manner that won much fa- 
vorable comment from all sources. He was 
Justice of the Peace and Township Treas- 
urer of Hoosier township from 1881 until 
1898. Having made rapid strides in the 
study of law. he was admitted to the bar in 
1896, and in a short time had a good legal 
business. He was elected County Judge on 
November 8. 1898, and served with much 
credit and entire satisfaction to his constit- 
uents until his term expired December 1. 
1902. Having given such splendid service 
in this office, he was re-elected in 1902 and 
served four more years, retiring in Decem- 
ber, 1906. During these eight years many 
cases of great importance were handled by 
him with the usual dispatch and clearness 
in analysis, also fairness to all concerned. 
He will, no doubt, be remembered as one 
of the ablest jurists the county has ever 
had. 

Judge Bonney was married November 7, 
1869, to Samantha Erwin, the representa- 
tive of a well known family. She was called 
to her rest November 26, 1888. Six chil- 
dren were born to this union, namely : 
Laura, the wife of J. H. Chandler, of Clay 
county ; Etta is the wife of George W. Mc- 
Glashon. of Louisville, Illinois; Lillian is 
the wife of E. G. Johnson, of Mill Shoals. 
Illinois, where he is agent for the Baltimore 
& Ohio Southwestern Railroad Company; 



364 



B RAPHICAL \M> REMINISCENT HISTORY 01 



Rqseoe lives at Monta Vista, Colorado, in 
the governmenl service; Maude is employed 
by the Missouri Pacific Railroad Company 

in St. Louis: Jessie is Using at home. 

The Judge again married, on November 
7. (890, his second wife being Jennie 
Wolfe. One child has been horn to this 
union, Harold, who is ten years old in 
1908. Mrs. Bonney is a woman of many 
commendable traits. 

Our subject is a member of the Grand 
Army of the Republic, and is a Republican 
in politics, having long been active in his 
party's affairs. The keynote of his charac- 
ter are progress and patriotism, for. as al- 
ready intimated throughout his career he 
has labored for the improvement of every 
line of business or public interest with 
which he has been associated. 



JUDGE A. X. TOLLIVER. 

It is with a gTeal degree of satisfaction 
to the biographer when he averts to the life 
of one who has made a success in any Mira- 
tion requiring definiteness of purpose and 
determined action. Such a life whether it 
be one of prosaic endeavor or radical ac- 
complishment, abounds in valuable lesson 
and incentive to those who have become dis- 
couraged in the fight for recognition or to 
the youth whose future 1- undetermined. 
For a number of years the subject of this 
-ketch has directed his efforts toward the 
goal of success in Clay county, and by pa- 
tient continuance has won. 



A. X. Tolliver, the well known County 
Judge of (.'lay county, Illinois, is a native 
of the same, having been born October i_\ 
1870, the son of John H. Tolliver. who was 
a native of Lawrence county. Indiana, and 
who came to Clay county. Illinois, when a 
young man. lie has spent most of his life 
engaged in farming, hut he has been in the 
drug business at Ingraham, this state, for 
many years. Isom Tolliver, the judge's 
grandfather, was also a native of Indiana, 
who came to Clav county, Illinois, being 
among the first settlers here. He died in 
1874. The judge's mother was Margaret 
Sanchner, whose people were from Tennes- 
see. She passed to her rest in Xovember, 
1905. Seven children were born to Mr. 
and Mrs. John H. Tolliver, as follows: A. 
X., the subject: Fred IX, living in Hoosier 
township; Dora S., of Hoosier township; 
Mr-. Minnie O'Dell, living in the same 
community: Myrtle; Mrs. Cora Erwin, of 
I lousier township; Claud, deceased. 

A. X. Tolliver spent his boyhood days on 
the parental farm in Hoosier town-hip, 
where he developed a sturdy manhood. He 
attended the country schools during the 
winter month-, applying himself in a most 
assiduous manner and becoming well edu- 
cated. Deciding to take up the teacher's 
profession, he had no trouble in finding an 
opportunity and for a period of ten years 
taught in an able manner, becoming known 
as one of the popular educators of the 
county, but believing that the law was his 
proper calling, he began the study of the 
same while teaching, and he was admitted 



RICHLAND. CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



365 



to the bar in Clay county in 1902, soon be- 
ginning practice. Successful from the first, 
he soon built up an excellent business, be- 
coming active in political affairs, it was not 
long until the party leaders singled him out 
for public office. He was the choice of the 
Republican party for the nomination of 
County Judge, and he was triumphantly 
elected to this office in 1906, and is now 
serving in that capacity in a manner that 
stamps him as an able jurist, thoroughly 
versed in the law and fair and unbiased in 
his decisions. His term is for four years, 
and before it is half gone he has shown that 
his constituents made no mistake in select- 
ing him for the place. He had held various 
minor township offices prior to his election 
to the judgeship, and his services were al- 
ways characterized by a strict fidelity to 
duty. He was principal and superinten- 
dent of the Louisville schools from 1898 to 
1 901. 

Judge Tolliver was united in marriage, 
June 15. 1892, with Elizabeth A. Bryan, 
daughter of Josiah Bryan, of Hoosier town- 
ship, and to this union five children have 
been born as follows: Zola A., Flossie E., 
Lowell S., Elizabeth and Bryan. They are 
attending the local schools. 

The judge devotes his entire time to the 
duties of his office and to the practice of 
his profession. His clients come from all 
over this locality and he handles some very 
important cases, always with satisfaction to 
his clients. In his fraternal relations, he 
belongs to the Masonic Order, the Knights 
of Pythias, the Woodmen and the Tribe of 



Ben Hur. He has occupied the chairs in 
the Masonic fraternity, and is secretary of 
the Knights of Pythias. He is a member 
of the Baptist church. 

Mrs. Tolliver was called to her rest De- 
cember 10, 1905. 

Judge Tolliver takes an abiding interest 
in the progress and improvement of the 
schools in Clay county and, in fact, all mat- 
ters that pertain to the development of the 
community. He belongs to the class of 
substantial citizens whose lives do not show 
any meteoric effects, but who by their sup- 
port of the moral, political and social status 
for the general good, promote the real wel- 
fare of their respective communities, and 
are therefore deserving of honorable men- 
tion on the pages of history. 



EDGAR F. BRUBAKER. 

The subject of this sketch, Edgar F. Bru- 
baker, is a man who is an important fac- 
tor in the farming and mercantile business 
in the county in which he lives. The son of 
one of the pioneer residents of Marion 
county, a man who held a record as a large 
farmer and merchant, and as a church 
worker and a prominent citizen, entitled 
him by birth to a place in the life of the 
community. He has. however, had the ad- 
vantages of a present-day education, and 
his trained brain and industrious habits have 
brought him success in life. 

Edgar F. Brubaker, a twin brother of 



&6 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



EdWitl M. I'.rubaker. was bom in Alma 

township, on October 6, 1859, and was the 
son of Eli Brubaker and Mary Warner, his 
wife His father, who was born December 
ii. [818, Rftd who died July m. \<)oy. was 
universally known and respected ifl the omii- 
munitv. He was one of the pioneers of Ma- 
rion GOUttty, where he made a name for him- 
self. He helped to establish a Presbyterian 
church in Stevenson township, and was" an 
active, conscientious, and untiring religious 
worker. For over forty years he held the 
position of superintendent of Sunday 
schools, after which he was elected hono- 
rary superintendent for the remainder of 
his life. He was noted and known through- 
out the county as a raiser and breeder of 
Durham eattle. His farm at one time com- 
prised fourteen hundred acres of as good 
land as there was in the county. For many 
years he turned his attention to the mer- 
cantile business in an extensive way in Sa- 
lem. He was a life-long Democrat and one 
of the most popular and important men in 
his section of the county. His family con- 
sisted of seven children. They were: Isaac 
B.. who married Dolly Kagy, and has one 
child; Christian M.. who married Wood- 
son Cheely and has eight children: Anna 
B.. who married Shannon Kagy, has live 
children: William A. married Marindy Van 
Gilder, and has five children: Edwin M.. 
the twin brother of the subject of our sketch, 
married Catherine Byers and has two chil- 
dren; and Logan E. married Rachel Kagj 
and has two children. 

Edgar F. Brubaker married Mariette 



Kagy. on April 3, 1888. Xo children 
have been born to them. In his youth 
he was educated at the common schools, 
afterwards attending Lincoln I niversity. 
where lie took a scientific course. Like 
his father before him. he started ex- 
tensively in the farming business and with 
much success until about eleven years ago. 
when he decided to go into the mercantile 
business in I'.rubaker. His venture along 
mercantile lines was an assured success, and 
his business has a turnover now of about 
twenty thousand dollars. In addition to bis 
large mercantile interests. Edgar F. Bru- 
baker still holds about four hundred acres 
of land and is a breeder of I 'oiled- Angus 
cattle on an extensive scale, the Polled-An- 
gUs herd which he now has on his farm 
being of a remarkably good quality. In 
the past he has been quite a large raiser of 
sheep and has the reputation of being a 
shrewd and experienced agriculturalist. 

In politics Edgar F. Brubaker is a Demo- 
crat. In the political life of his township 
he has l>een as active as his business inter- 
ests could permit him to be. He has served 
a term as Road Supervisor, and twice as a 
Justice of the Peace. His reputation along 
agricultural lines gained him the distinc- 
tion of serving on the Hoard of Agricul- 
ture at the State Fait at the time of its be- 
ing held at Peoria, Illinois. In the social 
ami religioUS life of the township and 
county, the names of Edgar F. and Mrs. 
Brubaker are well to the fore. Their names 
have rarely been absent from social and 
religious functions in the neighborhood. As 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



367 



a citizen and a representative business man, 
the subject of our sketch is admired and 
respected. He has all the qualities which go 
to the making of the desirable and conscien- 
tious member of the community. 



JOHN W. THOMASOX. 

Mr. Thomason is known as a man of 
high attainments and practical ability as a 
lawver. and as one who has achieved suc- 
cess in his profession because he has worked 
for it persistently and in channels of honest 
endeavor. His prestige at the bar of Clay 
county stands in evidence of his ability and 
likewise serves as a voucher for intrinsic 
worth of character. He has used his intel- 
lect to the best purpose, has directed his 
energies along legitimate courses, and his 
career has been based upon the wise as- 
sumption that nothing save industry, perse- 
verance, sturdy integrity and fidelity to 
duty will lead to success. 

John \Y. Thomason was born in Blair 
township. Clay county. July 5. 1874, the 
son of William B. Thomason, who was a 
native of Indiana. He came to Bible Grove 
township when a boy. where he settled 
on a farm and continued to 1 live in this 
county until his death, about 1878. when 
only about twenty-eight years old. Allan 
Thomason was the subject's grandfather, a 
native of North Carolina, who emigrated 
to Kentucky and then to Indiana, residing 
on a farm in Washington county. He was 



a soldier in the Mexican war. The sub- 
ject's mother was known in her maiden- 
hood as Caroline Kellums. whose people 
were natives of Indiana, she having been 
born in Greene county, that state. She was 
called to her rest in 1900, when living at 
Iola, Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. William B. 
Thomason were the parents of three chil- 
dren, only two of whom are living at this 
writing, Walter L. Thomason living at 
Madison, Illinois, and John W. 

Air. Thomason spent his early life on the 
farm. His father was called to his reward 
when John W. was four years old. and the 
mother arid sou lived with the latter's ma- 
ternal grandfather. The mother remarried 
when John W. was eight years old. His 
step-father was J. W. Fender, of Iola, Il- 
linois, by which union six children were 
born. 

Mr. Thomason attended the district 
schools until he was eighteen years old, 
when he entered Orchard City College, at 
Flora, from which he graduated in 1894. 
having made a splendid record for scholar- 
ship. He taught school one year before 
graduating and a few terms afterward, with 
much success attending his efforts. He 
then went to Mercer county, this state, 
where he engaged in the grain and stock- 
business with an uncle, having teen asso- 
ciated with him for four years, making a. 
success of this line of work in every par- 
ticular. But a business life was too prosaic 
for him and he decided to enter the profes- 
sion of law. and accordingly be.^an study 
at Aledo. Mercer county, this state. He 



3 68 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



attended Kent College of Law one term, in 
Chicago, and was admitted to the bar in 
189c). in Clay county, where he at once 1" 
gan practice and has continued ever since 
in a manner thai has stamped him as one 
of the leading representatives of the bar in 
this part of the state. He first practiced 
alone. 

In 1 <)o<> Mr. Thomason was elected 
State's Attornej on the Democratic ticket, 
for a term of four years, which office he 
filled with much credit and to the satisfac- 
tion of all concerned. He was a candidate 
for re-election, hut was defeated by one 
vote only, the rest of the ticket being de- 
feated by majorities ranging up to four 
hundred and seventy-three. This shows 
Mr. Thomason's greal popularity in the 
county with his party, lie then formed a 
partnership with H. R. Boyles, which con- 
tinued until Mr. Boyles died in 1905. He 
practiced alone then until [907, when he 
formed a partnership with II. D. McCollum, 
which now exists. The firm has a very- 
large and complete library, which is kept 
well replenished with late decisions and the 
most standard works, j n fact, it is one ol 
the best in (.'lay county, and few firms do .1 
more extensive husiuess than this one. 

Mr. Thomason was united in marriage 
March _'S. 1900, to Margaret L. Downing, 
daughter of John Downing, of Joy. Mercer 
county, this state. She is the worthy rep 
resentative of an influential family of that 
locality. To this union two winsome 
daughters have been born; Corrinne and 
Helen. Mr. Thomason has a farm in Blair 
township, and he is interested in the stock 



business, always keeping some good breeds 
on hand. His farm is a valuable one and 
is kepi well improved. 

Our subject is chairman of the Demo- 
cratic County Central Committee, and is 
very active 111 politics. He was appointed 
Master in Chancer) in March. [908. and 
is now ably serving in this capacity. In 
his fraternal relations he is a member of the 
Masonic Order, and at this writing Master 
of the Louisville Lodge No. 10''. He is a 
member of the Knights of Pythias, being 
Chancellor Commander, lie i~ also a mem- 
ber of the Woodmen and Ben llur. 

It stands to Mr. Thomason's credit that 
he has attained prosperity and definite suc- 
cess through his own efforts, since he 
started out in life with no further reinforce- 
ment than that implied in a stout heart. 
willing hands and a determination to suc- 
ceed tlirousfh honest and earnest effort. 



JOSEPH C. PARKIXSOX. 

Xo family in Marion county is better or 
more favorably known than the Parkin- 
sons, who have heen identified with the 
growth of this locality since the early pio- 
neer days, and who have in every instance 
played well their parts in the county's his- 
tory. The subject of the present sketch is 
a worthy representative of his ancestors. 

Joseph C. Parkinson was born on the old 
Parkinson homestead in Raccoon township, 
February 27, 1869. the son of Brown and 
Mary J. ( Leuty) Parkinson, the former a 
native of Tennessee, and the latter of Jet- 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES. ILLINOIS. 



369 



ferson county. Illinois. He married in Jef- 
ferson county and came to Marion county, 
locating in Raccoon township, where he se- 
cured one hundred acres of land in section 
23, all wild land, but he was a hard worker 
and cleared it, making a good home. He de- 
voted his life to farming, and was School 
Director, a Republican, and he also held 
several minor offices. He and his wife were 
members of the Reformed Presbyterian 
church. He died in October, 1883, and his 
wife died August 29, 1905. The father of 
the subject was not only well known but well 
liked. To the parents of the subject the 
following children were born : John, a 
farmer in Raccoon township, living on part 
of the old place ; Luella married B. F. Mer- 
cer, of Raccoon township; William K. is a 
farmer in Raccoon township ; Nettie is de- 
ceased ; Charles A. is superintendent of the 
public schools at Glen Carbon, Illinois ; Jo- 
seph C, our subject, is the youngest child. 

Joseph C. Parkinson lived at home with 
his mother until he was twenty-two years 
old. He attended the neighborhood schools 
there and got a fairly good education. He 
was happily married February 5, 1891, to 
Flaura J. March, of Raccoon township, the 
daughter of John S. March (whose sketch 
appears in full in this volume). To the sub- 
ject and wife seven children have been born 
as follows: Maude, Hattie, Harris, Roy, 
Helen, May and Merle. 

After his marriage Mr. Parkinson located 

on a part of his father's farm and lived on 

the old homestead, making a success of his 

farming operations until the spring of 1901, 

^4 



when he moved to the south line of the old 
homestead, where he has since resided. He 
owns fifty acres of the old place and twenty- 
six and one-half acres adjoining it, making 
his a very valuable and desirable farm, 
highly improved and one of the most pro- 
ductive in the township. The subject car- 
ries on a general farming business. He 
raises all kinds of grain, horses and cattle, 
good hogs ; his cattle are Jersey and Dur- 
ham, and his hogs are Poland-China and 
Duroc Red. His fine stock is known all 
over the county, and no small portion of his 
income is derived from this source. He has 
always been a farmer and is considered an 
excellent one by those who know him. He 
has a comfortable home and convenient out- 
buildings. 

Mr. Parkinson has ably served his com- 
munity as Township Clerk for two years 
and School Director for three years. He is 
a stanch Republican, and always takes an 
interest in the affairs of the county, doing 
what he can to promote his interests, 
whether politically, socially or materially. 
He and his wife are faithful members of the 
United Presbyterian church. 



WILLIAM H. HUDELSON. 

The history, biographical record or mem- 
oir of Clay county or of Southern Illinois, 
would he singularly incomplete without 
mention of William H. Hudelson, deceased. 
Therefore the following article has been 



370 



CIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



compiled from facts available and quota- 
tions from the utterances and writings ol 
those who knew him intimately throughout 
his long career as a citizen of Clay county. 
In ever) community there is to be found 
a man, or a few men, whose names arc pre- 
eminently and unmistakably identified 
with the community's material growth and 
development, and who are always to be 
found associated with every movement that 
seems to promise an addition to that com- 
munity's wealth, resources and enterprise, 
and to enhance the importance of its loca- 
tion ami surroundings. Such men are sel 
dom obtrusive, though always m the alert, 
and always to he found when called upon. 
The masses feel their presence, though it i- 
not thrust upon them, and almost inset 
bly, but no less surely, do they leave theii 
impress upon the character, institutions and 
developments of that community. Such a 
man was William H. Hudelson 

He was born on a farm three miles south 
of Princeton. Gibson comity, a son of Sam- 
uel Hudelson. a pioneer of that community. 
He was not exactly a child of the wilder- 
ness, hut wilderness features surrounded 
the rude cradle in which he was rocked. 
The trail of the wolf was yet to he seen in 
the siii iw and the alarm i if the rattle snake 
at the base i if the lull It was the period of 
the legendary cabin and lire place, the old 
family Bible and alphabet, and the school 
house with its floors of puncheon, its un- 
hewn loo- and roof of hoards. It was the 
dav of the hasty, primitive education, when 
the subjects taught were reading and writ 
in,";, spelling and arithmetic, when grammar 



was catalogued with the natural sciences 
and geography among the classics. It was 
the time of day of the pious mother, who 
had her pleasant legends and fairy tales, 
with which she suppressed the rising si^hs 
and kept open the leaden eye-lids of the 
little ones, as she plied her spinning-wheel 
and waited for the return of her husband 
from his labors, when perchance, driving 
snowstorm delayed him far into the hours 
of thickest night. 

Amid such scenes our subject spenthisboy- 
hi od and the revolving years on to his man 
hood, until, in April of [852, he located in 
Louisville, Clay county, Illinois. With a 
limited financial capital, he established in 
the grocery and "general store" husiness 
with John McGriffin as a partner. This 
was -nine years before the advent ol Rail- 
roads, and their stock oi goods was 
brought h\ wagon from Evansville, In- 
diana. By industry and fair dealing the 
firm was successful and endured for a pe- 
riod of five years, when in [857, Mr. Hud- 
elson exchanged his interest tor the farm 
of Harrison Rayburn. Here from dawn 
far into the night he labored and toiled. 
llis tremendous industry, his splendid phys- 
ical strength and endurance made him 
known throughout the countryside and 
main are the tales related of his wonderful 
powers. In (866 he sold his then titled 
farm and he again became a resident of 
Louisville village. \t about this time the 
building of the court house was agitated, 
and bonds providing for same were issued 
by the county. Cla) county was even then 
much in the "'hack woods" and the financial 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION" COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



371 



men of the East to whom the then young 
West looked for its cast supply, did not 
take kindly to the court-house bond issue. 
In consequence they were not greatly 
sought and were offered at a most liberal 
discount. With a far-seeing wisdom and 
an abiding faith in the community and its 
citizens. Mr. Hudelson invested his capital 
and savings in these bonds and the subse- 
quent years fully warranted his faith and 
trust in the county's future. His first ven- 
ture in the whirlpool of finance proving suc- 
cessful, he for some years, devoted himself 
to investments and private banking. In 
about 1870. with Henry Watson as a part- 
ner, a savings bank was established, known 
as the Bank of Louisville, and this he con- 
ducted until in about 1879, the business 
was closed, after which he continued' as a pri- 
vate banker and an investor in lands and real 
estate. At one time his land holdings were 
estimated at between thirty-five hundred 
and four thousand acres, and his wealth, a 
portion of which he inherited from deceased 
relatives, was said to have been about two 
hundred and fifty thousand dollars. 

He was one of the organizers of the 
Farmers' and Merchants' Rank of Louis- 
ville, in 1892, and served as its president 
for a number of years. Some vears pre- 
vious to his death he launched a series of 
philanthropical movements, which it was his 
aim should result in advancing the cause of 
Christianity, education and the betterment 
1 if mankind. He gave lavishly of his 
wealth to Ewing College, of Ewing. Illinois, 
and erected a handsome building and 
grounds in Clay county, known as Hudel- 



son Academy, which flourished during his 
life largely through his contributions for 
its maintenance. 

He was a Democrat in his political faith 
though in no respect a politician. He held 
the office of Justice of the Peace for some 
time and in 1868. he was a candidate 
against Hon. L. S. Hopkins for County 
Judge, which contest resulted in a vote 
whereupon Mr. Hudelson magnanimously 
relinquished his claim and Mr. Hopkins was 
seated. He was of deeply religious temper- 
ament, and joined the Baptist church at Lou- 
isville in 1868, continuing his membership 
there for mam- years, though a few years 
before his death he withdrew from that 
congregation and became a member of the 
Wabash Baptist church. He contributed 
much to the church and was largely re- 
sponsible for the erection of the church edi- 
fice at Louisville, a building which would 
do credit to a much larger city. 

Mr. Hudelson was twice married, his 
first wife being Frances C. McCawley, of 
near Clay City. They were married Octo- 
ber 26. 1854. and her death occurred Au- 
gust 12. T856. One child. Cornelius, who 
died in infancy, was born to them. On Oc- 
tober 12. 1858. he married Mrs. Pennina 
Bentlev (nee Bundy"), who died Mav 13, 
1903. Mr. Hudelson died March 9, 1905. 

"Uncle Bill" and "Aunt Piney" Hudel- 
son will live long in the memories of the 
citizens of Clav and adjoining counties. 
where one or both of them were known al- 
most universally. "Aunt Piney" was an 
affectionately comforting and devoted 
woman, deeply attached to her husband. 



372 



B R W'HU'AI. AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



and wholly consecrated to his well being. 
Ili> circle of home was cheerful, tranquil, 

and in that charmed spot lie ever seemed 
as happ) a- a child, and when after forty- 
five years she was taken from him, he felt 
an irreparable loss, for his devotion to her 
wa^ the echo of hers for him. 

"Uncle Bill" and "Aunt Piney" Eound 
-real pleasure in the association of friends 
and deeply enjoyed their society. To those 
in whom the former had confidence and 
with whom he became most intimate; to 
those who merited and won his friendship, 
he was indeed a friend, tried, trusted and 
true. In his dealings with his fellow men 
he was honorable, fair, punctual, his word 
as good as his bond. 1 f he was your debtor 
he would repay to the last farthing and he 
exacted the same treatment, the same ster- 
ling integrity from those who were in his 
debt. He possessed a genius for execution 
and management and of that quality of 
personality which accompanied by deed de- 
termination is bound to rise no matter what 
the environment or circumstances. 



]•. P. GARNER. 



The subject of this sketch has well earned 
the honor to be addressed as one of the 
progressive, public-spirited men of Marion 
county. His early labors were devoted to 
railroad work, but the latter years up to the 
time of this writing, 1908, were spent in 
the management of a grocery store in Salem, 
where he held high rank as a merchant and 
successful business man. 



E. P. (iarner was born in Salem, Illinois, 
March 4, 1856, the son of Albert Garner, a 
native of Tennessee, who came to Illinois 
when a young man. settling in Salem. He 
drove a stage coach on the old Mayesville 
and St. Louis lines; in latter years he was a 
stock trader and butcher. He died in Sa- 
lem after an active and useful life replete 
with success and honor. The mother of 
the subject was known in her maidenhood 
as Letitia Pace, who was born in Mt. Ver- 
non. Illinois. She is a woman of beautiful 
Christian character and admirable traits and 
is living in Salem in 1908, at the age of sev- 
enty-five years. The parents of the subject 
had a family of seven children, four of 
whom are deceased at this writing. They 
are: Florence, deceased; Ann, deceased ; 
Albert, deceased; E. P., our subject; 
Blanche, deceased: Maggie, the wife of J. 
II. Vawter, of Salem; Frankie. who is liv- 
ing in Salem. 

Mr. < iarner was reared in Salem, having 
attended the common schools until he wis 
fiften years old. His first position was as a 
brakeman on the Baltimore & Ohio Rail- 
road, on a passenger train, having followed 
this from the time he was nineteen until he 
was twenty- four years old. He then fired a 
locomotive on the same road for one year, 
between East St. Louis and Vincennes. Af- 
ter this he went to work for the Wabash 
Railroad at East St. Louis as a car account- 
ant, having followed this up to 1906, on 
which date he abandoned railroading and 
went into the grocery and meat business in 
Salem, which business he has handled with 
success, building up an excellent trade. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



373 



Our subject was happily married March 
8, 1883, to Janie Jackson, a daughter of 
John W. Jackson, of Frankfort, Kentucky, 
who is a brother of the late Capt. James 
S. Jackson, of Salem. This family has 
always been influential. Three interesting 
children have been born to the subject and 
wife, as follows : Garrie J., whose date of 
birth occurred March 17, 1884, in Salem; 
Sherrill P., who was born February 25, 
1889, in East St. Louis; Ralph E., born De- 
cember 23, 1898, in Salem, is in the public 
schools at Salem. These children have re- 
ceived every care and attention at the hands 
of their parents and they all give promise of 
successful futures. 

Our subject is a charter member of the 
Modern Americans, and in his religious af- 
filiations he subscribes to the Christian 
church. Mrs. Garner and the three boys 
are also members of this church. 

Mr. Garner was on the Executive Com- 
mittee of Salem township in 1880, with W. 
J. Bryan at the organization of the Hancock 
and English club. This was Mr. Bryan's 
first political act, he being only twenty years 
old at that time. Mr. Bryan was chairman 
of the committee on permanent organization. 



EDWIX HEDRICK. 

The student interested in the history of 
Richland county does not have to carry his 
investigations far into its annals before 
learning that Edwin Hedrick has long been 



a leading representative of its agricultural 
interests, and that his labors have proven a 
potent force. More than half a century has 
passed away since he came to the county. 
There was much difficult work before the 
early settlers, like the Hedricks. in clearing 
the land for improvement and for many 
decades Edwin has successfully carried on 
the various lines of farming, and while he 
has prospered in this he has also found 
ample opportunity to assist in the develop- 
ment of the county. 

Edwin Hedrick, whose farm lies in Deck- 
er township. Richland county, was born in 
Ohio county, Kentucky, January 23, 1830, 
the son of Samuel and Sarah (Lucas) Hed- 
rick. the former a native of Ohio and the 
latter of South Carolina. Grandfather 
Philip Hedrick was bom in Germany, 
where he was reared and where he mar- 
ried. He came to the United States and 
settled in Clark county, Ohio, where he en- 
tered a great deal of land, and became very 
wealthy. He reared a large family of fif- 
teen children and carried on a big dairy. 
He made large quantities of cheese which 
he hauled to Cincinnati by the wagon load 
everv two weeks. He continued to buy 
government land, and acquired many sec- 
tions, dividing it among his children, giv- 
ing each a large farm. He was a German 
to the core, and did not acquire much Eng- 
lish education. His cousin was Colonel 
Hedrick in the Revolutionary war. After 
the war the colonel returned to Germany, 
where he had invested money and became 
a millionaire. He never married and his 



374 



BIOGR \ 1" 1 1 U'AI. AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



fortune finally went to the German govern- 
ment. Philip, the father of the subject, ac- 
quired a farm from his father and consid- 
erable money from the estate, lie sold out 
in Ohio, and went to Kentucky, where he 
married and engaged in farming for sev- 
eral years. He then sold out and in 1S41 
came to Richland county, Illinois, settling 
in Decker township, where he entered about 
■ me thousand acre- of land, paying one dol- 
lar and twenty five cents per acre. It was 
a wild, unsettled country at that time, and 
later lie went to Palestine to enter land. 
There were no roads at that time, and there 
was plenty of wild game of all kinds, tur- 
keys, deer, by the hundreds, lie lived only 
live years after coming here, having died 
in 1840. at the age of fifty-three years. Ik- 
had been a minister in the Cumberland 
Presbyterian church for several years. I lis 
wife survived him twenty-five years, and 
-he married a second time, her last husband 
having been a Mr. Harrison. She was sev- 
enty-six years old when she died on the old 
homestead in Decker township. She be- 
came the mother of eight children by her 
first husband, of which number our subject 
was the third in order of birth. Three of 
them are living at this writing; a younger 
brother, Mason Hedrick, was a major in 
the Union \riny during the Civil war. in 
the Twelfth Kentucky Cavalry, having en- 
listed from Davis county, that state, and 
served until the close of the war. He is 
now living at ( >din, Hiiro lis. 

Edwin Hedrick was eleven years old 
when he came to Richland county. Reared 
on a farm he received what education h<- 



could in the public rural schools, which was 
somewhat limited, school having been 
taught in the primitive loo- cabin, with rude 

furnishings. He attended only a few 
months during the winter. However, after 
the death of hi- father he went to Ken- 
tucky, and lived for several years, where 

he secured a g 1 education and taught 

school in that state in an acceptable man- 
ner for a period of eight years. He was a 
tine penman and taught penmanship during 
vacations. In [857 he returned to Rich- 
land county and settled on the old home- 
stead, having bought the interest of the 
other heirs and he has since lived here. But 
Few improvements had been made on the 
place. \hout that time he got married and 
began housekeeping in a -mall log cabin. 
There were but few roads through the 
country, and he endured all the privations 
and hardships of frontier life. Forty acres 
having been left him by his father, he 
bought forty acres more from his mother. 
going in debt for the same. He prospered 
from the first and bought more land, which 
he improved, and is now the owner of six 
hundred acres, comprising one of Rich- 
land county's model farms, besides having 
given six hundred acres to his children. 
For forty years he was widely known as an 
able farmer, trader and stockman, dealing 
in live stock on an extensive scale. He was 
a large dealer in mules for many years, 
ami usually had from one hundred and fifty 
to two hundred head of cattle every year 
for many wars. He has been unusually 
successful in whatever he has undertaken. 
Mr. Hedrick was united in marriage 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES. ILLINOIS. 



375 



June 23, 1857. to Mary A. Adamson, a 
native of Union county, Kentucky, the 
daughter of Aaron and Martha Jennings 
(Thompson) Adamson. the former a native 
of Kentucky, and the latter of Tennessee. 
She moved to Edwards county. Illinois, 
with her parents, when young. Her father 
died in Kentucky when about forty years 
old. The subject's wife's mother died in 
Wayne county, Illinois, when she had at- 
tained the advanced age of eighty-four 
years. Grandfather Thompson served in 
the War of 1812. He was a native of 
Louisiana, and came to Edwards county, 
Illinois, among the early pioneers and lo- 
cated here. 

Eight children were born to the subject 
and wife, seven of whom grew to maturity. 
They are Elvira; Francis Marion; Samuel 
Aaron, Eva McClelland, Mara Martha, 
Mary Elizabeth, Edwin, a prominent law- 
yer in Chicago. All these children are liv- 
ing except Eva McClelland, who died when 
thirty-six years old. These children have 
received good educations. 

In politics Mr. Hedrick is a Democrat, 
and has always been very active, being one 
of the local "wheel-horses" for many years 
in local affairs, and was for quite a long 
time very influential in his township, but 
since he has reached old age he does not 
take much part in political matters. He 
has never aspired to positions of public 
trust, preferring to give all his attention to 
his business and in rearing and educating 
his children. 

In June, 1907. Mr. and Mrs. Hedrick 



celebrated their golden wedding anniver- 
sary on the homestead. There were sixty- 
five relatives present. Both our subject and 
his wife received beautiful gold watches in 
remembrance of the occasion, which they 
prize very highly. Mr. Hedrick has been 
a faithful member of the Presbyterian 
church for sixty-five years, and he was an 
elder of the same for main- years. Mrs. 
Hedrick has also been a member of that 
church for many years. 

Our subject deserves the great credit 
which he is given for his success, for not 
a dishonest dollar ever passed through his 
hands, and his lands, money and stock ag- 
gregate from forty to fifty thousand dol- 
lars, all the result of his own efforts, for 
he started in life with only forty acres of 
wild land. 



W. R. WOODARD. 



The subject is now practically living re- 
tired in Salem, Illinois. Through his long 
connection with agricultural interests he 
not only carefully conducted his farm, but 
so managed its affairs that he acquired 
thereby a position among the substantial 
residents of the community. Moreover he 
is entitled to representation in this volume 
because he is one of the native sons of Ma- 
rion county, and his mind bears the impress 
of its early historical annals, and from the 
pioneer days down to the present, he has 
been an interested witness of its develop- 
ment. 



376 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



W. R. Woodard was born in Marion 
county, about five miles northwesl of Sa- 
lem. August 8, US44, the son of Charles 
Woodard, a native of Ohio, who came to 
Illinois in 1S40. settling on the farm where 
our subject was horn, and he continued to 
live there until 1904. developing an excel- 
lent farm and reaping rich rewards for his 
toil from year to year, for he was a thrifty 
man of the best type of agriculturist. In 
1904 he moved to Salem where he spent 
his "Id age, surrounded with the comforts 
of life, which his manhood years, in the 
youth and "noon" of life had accumulated. 
having passed t<> his rest in Salem, Febru- 
ary 10. 1907. more than eighty-seven years 
old. He was at one time postmaster at 
Tonti. 

IN- worked in a carding mill in Salem 
for -..me time, and had the weave made up 
into clothes. The paternal grandfather of 
the subject was Joshua Woodard, who was 
a native ..f Pennsylvania and who migrated 
t.. Ohio and then t. 1 Illinois with his son, 
the father of our subject. He made a sue 
cess of whatever he undertook, being a man 
..I" sterling qualities, like mosl of the pio 
neers of the country of those early days. 
lie finally went hack t.. < (hio where he died. 

The mother of our subject was Ann All- 
in. m in her maidenh 1. the representative 

of a fine old family in Tennessee. Her peo- 
ple finally moved to Marion county, Illinois, 
where she passed to her rest in 1884. Four 
children were born to the subject's parents, 
W. R., our subject; A. ].. who lives on a 
farm near the old home place; Elizabeth 



Ann. widow of J. H. Scott, living near 

Tonti; Ann. who died in infancy. 

Our subject was reared on his father's 
farm and attended the country schools in 
that neighborhood, having applied himself 

in such a manner as to gain a fairly g I 

education for those primitive school days. 
He lived on the old farm where he made a 
decided success at agricultural pursuits un- 
til he moved to Salem in 1904. He erected 
a house on the old homestead for himself, 
where he spent his years of labor in com- 
fort and plenty. Mr. Woodard was united 
in marriage in 1871 to Mrs. Martha N. 
(Deeds) Nichols, whose parents came to 
this state from Virginia when she was one 
year old. She was always known as a wo- 
man of many fine personal traits. Four 
children were born to the subject and wife. 
all deceased, three having died in infancy, 
and the fourth after reaching maturity. 
Our subject always took considerable in- 
terest in public affairs and he was ap- 
pointed postmaster of Tonti after his. 
father gave it up. He has also been hon- 
ored with township offices in Tonti town- 
ship. 

Mr. Woodard is a faithful member of 
the Methodist Episcopal church of Salem 
and his wife is also a consistent member of 
this church, both ranking high in the con- 
gregation of the same. Our subject has 
spenl his long and useful life in Marion 
counts, and it is interesting to hear him tell 
of the early days when Salem was a small 
hamlet with but a few houses and much 
wild erame was in the great forests and on 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



377 



the uncultivated prairies roundabout. He 
has been a man of good business judgment 
and a hard worker, consequently he has 
made a success of his life work which has 
always been carried on in an honest man- 
ner. He owns a good residence in Salem, 
where he is regarded as a good law abiding 
citizen, and where he has many personal 
friends. 



JOSEPH GOSS. 



"We rarely find two persons in every-day 
life who attribute their success in their dif- 
ferent spheres to similar qualities. Hard 
work and plodding industry paved the way 
for one, good judgment and a keen sense 
of values for another, intuition and a well 
balanced mind for the third. An admix- 
ture of some of the qualities above named, 
emphasized by hard work and plodding in- 
dustry, has been responsible for the success 
of the subject of the present sketch in his 
battle for the spoils of victory. 

Joseph Goss.of German township, Rich- 
land county, is a familiar figure in the life 
of his township and county. He was born 
on the 3d of October. 1833, in Stark coun- 
ty, Ohio, the son of Jacob and Margaret 
(Bolinger) Goss, both natives of Stark 
county. Ohio. His grandparents on the 
father's side, came from Germany. They 
married in New Jersey, and after having 
spent a short time in Pennsylvania, moved 
to Stark county. Ohio, where the father of 
our subject was born, and where thev lived 



until the death of the elder Mrs. Goss. At 
that time Grandfather Goss came to Illi- 
nois, where he died at the age of ninety- 
five, being buried in Goss cemetery in Ger- 
man township. The father of Joseph Goss 
remained with his parents until his mar- 
riage to Margaret Bolinger in Stark county, 
where he removed to a farm of his own on 
which he remained until he came to Illinois 
in the year 1840. The journey to Illinois was 
made overland, bringing with him his fam- 
ily of eight children, one of whom was Jo- 
seph, then only seven years of age. In 
German township they entered one hundred 
and twenty acres of government land, pay- 
ing one dollar and twenty-five cents an acre 
for it. It was all timber land and totally 
unimproved. They set about clearing it. 
cut down trees and hewed out logs with 
which a rough log house was built. It was 
a small family dwelling, eighteen feet by 
twenty in area, and having four windows 
and two doors. A log stable was also built. 
As fast as Jacob could clear the land he 
planted wheat and corn and from time to 
time added adjoining land, and owning at 
the time of his death about two hundred 
acres. His death took place on the farm, 
his wife -having preceded him to the un- 
known, in the year 1861, he, himself dying 
in the year 1873, on April 28th. at the age 
of seventy-five years. Both are buried near . 
the family home in German township. Ten 
children were born during their married 
life, of which Joseph was the fourth in or- 
der of birth. 

Joseph Goss remained with his parents. 



378 



BI0GRAPH K \l. AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



helping theni in their arduous tasks until 
his twenty seventh year, at which time lie 
married Julia Gerber, on May 14. e86o, 
their marriage taking place in Richland 
county. His wife was hum in Pennsyl- 
vania in the year 1831, and was the daugh- 
ter of Philip and Mr-. Gerber, Her family 
came to Richland county from Pennsyl- 
vania, in the year [845, where they re- 
mained until their deaths. Julia Gerber re- 
mained with her parents until her marriage 
in i860. 

At the time of his marriage, Joseph Goss 
bought some timber land, ninety acres in 
Claremont township, and fur many years he 
put in much hard work clearing, fencing 
and improving it. He built a frame house 
for himself and his wife. The outbreak of 
the Civil war occurred just then, and in the 
warmth of hi- patriotism, he volunteered 
for service. His services were refused. 
however, on account of one of his hands 
being somewhat crippled, hut his family 
was well represented on the held of battle, 
having had two brothers and two nephews 
in active service, his nephews both being 
killed— mic at the battle of Fort Donelson. 
I lis brothers luckily escaped, neither being 
injured nor taken prisoner. XLmt the year 
[869, Joseph Goss sold his property in 
( laremonl township, and boughl one hun- 
dred and twenty acres in German town- 
ship, the place mi which lie now lives. 
Since coming into possession he has added 
in. ire land and now owns one hundred ami 
forty acres of well improved land.. His 



wife dieil in January, 1875, a g e d forty-four 
years, and is buried in Goss cemetery. Four 

children were 1« nil to them, all are living, 
and in order of their birth they are: John 
Mathias. Jacob, Daniel and Emma; all are 
married. John M. lives at home with his 
father; Jacob and Daniel both own farms 
ami live in Jasper county, Illinois: Emma 
is the wile of Krnest Kennedy, a farmer. 
and lives in Lawrence county. 

Joseph ( I. is- remarried in July, [888. 
This time he took for a wife Salome 1 Sell- 
er) Gerber, the widow of Edwin Gerber, 
who was a brother of his first wife. The 
second Mrs. Goss was born in Stark county. 
( )hio. September ,}, [837. 

Joseph Goss did not receive a very ex- 
tended education — two or three terms was 
his limit, for farm work was urgent in his 
young days, and the school was five Hide- 
away, so he hail to bow to circumstances. 
In politics he is a Democrat and he has 
made his influence felt in his locality, hav- 
ing been in his younger days very active, 
lie served for several years as a School Di- 
rector in district No. 4. 

He and his wife and family arc frequent 
in their attendance at St. James Lutheran 
church in Claremont township, all being in- 
fluential and active members of that per- 
suasion. Mis firsl wife was also active in 
the same church. 

Joseph Goss's honesty and genial good 
fellowship haw given him a recognized po- 
sition in the community ami his life 111 the 
declining period is peaceful and sunny. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



379 



GEORGE VYOLGAMOT I". 

George Wolgamott was born January 
22, 1826, in Cambridge, 'Guernsey county, 
Ohio, the sun of David and Sophia ( Shee- 
lev I Wolgamott, both natives of Maryland, 
in which state David Wolgamott remained 
until his marriage at which time he re- 
moved to Ohio, coming overland with his 
wife, and encountering the usual quota of 
hardships which traveling in those days en- 
tailed. He entered three hundred acres 
from the government, paying one dollar 
and twenty-five cents an acre, in Guernsey 
county. It was all timber land with no 
improvements of any kind, but he imme- 
diately erected a home for his family in 
which he and his wife remained until their 
deaths. David 'Wolgamott died about 
1878. having passed his ninetieth milestone. 
His widow survived ten years, dying in 
1888. having also reached her ninetieth 
year. Both are buried in the Liberty cem- 
etery in Guernsey county, Ohio. David 
Wolgamott served about one and a half 
years in the Civil war in an Ohio regiment, 
mostly as one of the home guards in the 
vicinity of Columbus. Ohio. He was the 
father of a family of ten children, eight of 
whom grew to maturity, two dying in early 
life. Joe Wolgamott, one of his eldest 
sons, went through the Mexican war under 
command of General Taylor. 

George Wolgamott remained at home 
until his fourteenth year when he ran away 
from home and volunteered for the Mexi- 
can war. On account of his vouth he 



could not be taken as a soldier and served 
as a hostler. Later, when he became older, 
he got into the regular service. The first 
battle he took part in was that of Buena 
Vista, in which he received a wound in the 
leg. which was the only wound he received 
throughout the campaign, but it did not 
hinder him from service, and he remained 
with his regiment until the close of the war. 
He then returned to his parents in Guern- 
sey county, Ohio, and resumed work on 
the farm. At the age of twenty-one. he 
came to Illinois and entered eighty acres 
of prairie land in German township, Rich- 
land county, in the fall of 1847. and he 
came in company with Billy K. Johnson, a 
banker of Coshocton county, Ohio, who also 
entered a great deal of land surrounding 
our subject's eighty acres. He then went 
back to Ohio in the spring of 1848. and 
mice more farmed with his father. In 1850 
his marriage with Nancy Jane Rogers 
took place. They left Ohio in 1852 and 
came overland to Illinois and settled on the 
land which he had already entered. On 
their arrival he built a log cabin, broke 
prairie and raised corn and wheat, and 
otherwise improved the land. At the out- 
break of the Civil war he enlisted at Olney 
in the winter of i860. He had had small- 
pox when a boy and therefore was placed 
in the Union hospital in Springfield. Illi- 
nois, where he served as an attendant. This 
occupation proved too irksome for him and 
he ran away to New Orleans, rejoining his 
regiment, the Sixty-third Illinois. Corn- 
pan v A, two years later. The company 



380 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



was commanded by Captain McOure. 
George Wolgamott in active service then 
went through many of the principal en- 
gagements of the war. He marched with 
Sherman to the sea and took part in the 
battles of the Wilderness, Buzzard's Roost, 
Lookout Mountain, Big Shanty. Atlanta. 
Missionar} Ridge and many others. At 
the close of the war he was mustered ou< 
at Springfield, Illinois, lie was with his 
regiment at Raleigh, North Carolina, when 
the war ended, marched to Washington, D. 
C, and came to Parkersburg in open stock 
cars, then taking boat to Louisville. Ken- 
tucky, and thence to Springfield, Tllinms. 
Ili-- wife had returned to Chin during the 
war to which place he went to bring her 
hack to Illinois. On their return home his 
wife soon died. Two children were born 
of thi- marriage: they were named Lemon 
and Emma; the former lives in [owa, ami 
the latter at Lewiston, Illinois; she is the 
wife of Anderson Whites. The subject 
of our sketch then married Eliza Thomp- 
son in [868; she died about four years 

later. Three children were horn to this 
union: one, Savannah, married William 
Campbell, and lives in German township. 
The other two children died in childhood. 
George Wolgamott married shortl) after, 
taking for his third wife Jane Foster. On 
November 30, 1X7.1. he again ventured into 
matrimony. marrying Nanc) 1 Fisher) 
r, the wi.low of Da\ id Carr, a sol- 
dier of tin- Civil war. who died in 1^74. and 
i- buried in Bridgeport cemetery, Guernsey 
county, Ohio, hi- death occurring at the 



age nf forty-six. I'm them were horn three 
children, namely: Sylvester (deceased); 
Lillis and Ida. Lillis married Heldon 
Travis and lives in Topeka. Kansas: Ida is 
the wife of Edward Stradge, and reside- in 
Curtis, Frontier county, Nebraska. Nancy 
1 Fisher) Carr was horn in 1838, February 
27th, of that year, in Troy. Xew York. 
She lived in Troy with her parents until 
about three year- of age. when they moved 
tn Schenectady county. Xew York. Here 
she lived until her fourteenth year, when 
her parents moved to Ohio and settled in 
Tuscarawas county, later moving to Cuern- 
sey county. Her parents came to Richland 
county. Illinois, prior to the date of her 
marriage to our subject. Roth her parents 
died in Richland county, her father dying 
in )Xj<): her mother survived him for many 
year-, dying at the age of eighty-eight years 
about the year 1006. Her parents are in- 
terred in the Wagner cemetery. German 
township. 

George Wolgamott in his early years at- 
tended the subscription schools in Ohio. 
His present wife was also educated in the 
subscription schools in Xew York state, but 
she left school at the age of fourteen. 

Mr. Wolgamott has always voted the 
Republican ticket, taking an active part in 
local politics. He was a school director 
for about sixteen years in his home district. 

I [e has also been for many terms road over- 

II 1 in German township, lie is a member 
of the local camp of the Grand Vrmy of 
the Republic Post No. 745. in Chancey, 
Lawrence county. Illinois. He was elected 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



381 



post commander several times. Both he 
and his wife attend the Christian church, 
though neither are members of any par- 
ticular church. 



JOHX P. WILLIAMS. 

The subject of this sketch belongs to that 
:lass of men who win in life's battles by 
sheer force of personality and determination, 
md in whatever he has undertaken he has 
shown himself to be a man of ability and 
lonor. 

John P. Williams was born in New York 
Zity, May 10, 1849, the son of Robert Wil- 
iams, a native of Wales, who came to 
\merica when a young man. He was a pat- 
ern-maker and ship carpenter of great skill. 
rie left New York in 1853, and went to 
Jcking county, Ohio, where he remained 
intil his death in 1854. 

The subject's mother was Margaret 
Parry, also a native of Wales, who came 
America when very young. She is re- 
nembered as a woman of many fine traits 
md a worthy companion of Robert Wil- 
iams. She passed to her rest while living 
with our subject in Salem, July 10, 1882, 
o which place she had come four years pre- 
vious. Three children were born to the par- 
:nts of the subject of this sketch, the only 
>ne living being John P. Williams. Row- 
and H., his brother, died in Salem, Decern- 
io, 1890. He was appointed postmaster of 
5alem by President Harrison, and his death 



occurred after he had served only about 
eighteen months. Robert, the subject's other 
brother, died March 10, 1877, in Licking 
county, Ohio. These children recived ev- 
ery advantage possible that their parents 
could give them. 

John P. Williams was reared in Lick- 
ing county, Ohio, making his home there 
from the time he was three years old un- 
til he was twenty-eight. He received his 
education in that county, having applied 
himself in a manner that resulted in a fairly 
good common school education. After leav- 
ing school Mr. Williams engaged in the shoe 
making business, which he followed for 
twelve years and in which he was eminently 
successful. He came to Salem in 1878 and 
worked as a solicitor for his brother who 
was then in the monument business, fol- 
lowing this in a most satisfactory manner 
until 1882 when he went into the life and 
fire insurance business, spending consider- 
able time on the road as a special agent in 
life insurance and making a marked success 
in this line of business. 

Mr. Williams was appointed postmaster 
of Salem, April 1, 1898, in which capacity 
he served with entire satisfaction to the au- 
thorities and in a manner that reflected much 
credit upon his natural executive ability, un- 
til 1907. This appointment was made by 
President McKinley, and he was re-ap- 
pointed by President Roosevelt. After leav- 
ing the office, Mr. Williams opened a real 
estate and insurance office in 1907 and has 
been conducting the same to the present 
time, building up an excellent patronage and 



382 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



is now doing an extensive business through- 
out tin- community. He represents eight 
.■Id-line companies and the business of these 
could not be entrusted to better or abler 
hands, owing to Mr. Williams' popularity 
in Marion county, his genuine worth and 
integrity. 

Our subject was happily married in 1873 
to I. aura A. Ruton, an accomplished daugh- 
ter of E. E. Ruton, a native of New York 
Mate. The ceremony which united this con- 
genial couple was performed in Ohio and 
their subsequent life history IS one of the 
utmost harmony and happiness, and to this 
union si\ interesting children have been 
horn, named in order of their birth as fol- 
lows: Margaret, the wife of James N. 
Chance, a merchant tailor of Salem: Lucy, 
the wife of William P. Morris, a wholesale 
- ilem : Frances, the wife 
■ if 1.. W. Fellows, a broker, of New York 
: Lena, who is living at home: R. Carl, 
who is a train dispatcher on the Missouri 
Pacific Railroad at Jefferson City, Missouri; 
Rowland I... who is living at home, and is 
sistant time-keeper for the Chicago & 

stern Illinois Railroad Company at 
Salem. 

Mr. Williams, in his fraternal relations. 
belongs to the Salem Blue Lodge. Council 
and Chapter. Masons, and judging from his 
daily life one would conclude that he be- 
lieves in carrying out the noble precepts of 
this ancient and praiseworthy order. Loth 
he and his wife are members of the Cum- 
berland Presbyterian church. The career of 
Mr. William< clearly illustrates the possibili- 



ties that are open in this country to earnest. 
persevering men who have the courage of 
their convictions and are determined to be 
the architects of their own fortunes. 



GEORGE BUTLER. 

George Butler was born in Richland 

county on Jul) 9, 1 S44. being the son of 

Samuel and Nancy (Baker) Butler, both 
natives of Muskingum county. Ohio. 
George Butler's father and mother were 
married in Ohio, where three children were 
born to them. They came to Illinois in the 
year 1842, making the trip overland in 
wagons, ! the journey. 

and they endured the customary hardships 
of that tedious system of travel, arriving in 
German township. Richland county. Illi- 
nois, in September, 1842, and entered two 
hundred acres at the government prii 
one dollar ami twenty-five cents an acre, 
all timber land, on which stood one small 
log house and a log stable capable of hous- 
ing two horses; these had been erected by 
Gabriel Reed, who had taken a squatter's 
claim on the place, for wh I will and 

the improvements Samuel Butler paid the 
sum of sixty-five dollars. He had to g-o to 
line on horseback to make cntr\ of the 
land and was hut twenty-four hours ahead 
of a man named Lathrop (since <U\> 
who intended making entry of the same 
place Samuel Butler having successfully 
entered the land proceeded at once to clear 



RICHLAND. CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS 



383 



and improve same. He moved into the log 
house, and a few years later built a double 
log- house, and erected other buildings. 
Wild animals and game, including wolves, 
wild turkey and deer, were in abundance. 
Mrs. Samuel Butler died November 11, 
[860. aged about sixty years. Her husband 
survived her about twenty years, dying 
November 14. [880, aged eight}'. Both are 
buried in Mount North cemetery, in Ger- 
man township. Our subject remained in 
the paternal home assisting his father and 
mother until the Civil war broke out, when 
he enlisted July 9, [861. though not quite 
seventeen years of age at the time, having 
obtained his father's consent to fight for 
his country. He was sent to St. Louis and 
was attached to Company E. Eleventh Mis- 
souri Infantry, under Captain Levenston 
He was then transferred to Cape Girardeau, 
Missouri, for a course of training- of three 
months. He was ordered from there to the 
front where he participated in some of the 
historic battles of the conflict, such as I -land 
No. 10. at Fort Donelson, Pittsburg Land- 
ing. Corinth, Mississippi; the battle of 
luka; Holly Spring-, and the siege of 
Vicksburg, in which he was wounded by a 
shell striking him in the side, which broke 
several ribs and inflicted other injuries. He 
remained fur only two or three weeks in a 
field hospital, and again returned to his 
regiment with which he remained in active 
service until mustered out at St. Louis, 
Missi itiri, on January 23, [861 > 

George Butler then returned home to his 
parents in Richland count v. and again took 
up his agricultural calling in which he con 



tinned until his marriage which took place 
on March 2, 1869. On that date he mar- 
ried Buleau Burnell in Richland county. 
His wife was a native of Richland count v. 
being born there on August 6, 1S50. She 
was the daughter of Hizer and Sophia 
(Sumner) Burnell. Her father was burn 
in Ohio, and her mother in Lawrence coun- 
ty. Illinnis. The former came with his par- 
ents from Ohio, when only a small boy. 
["hey settled on a farm in Wabash county, 
where his father died when he was still 
young. His mother survived her husband 
for many years, and married a second 
time, a Mr. McMullen. who afterwards 
died. .Mr-. Butler's father continued to 
make his home with his mother until he 
married Sophia Sumner, about the year 
[845. He then settled in Lawrence count) 
for three or four years, after which he came 
n> Richland county and entered one hun- 
dred and sixty acre- <>\ land in Preston 
township, where he remained until his 
death. August jo. [854, being buried in 
Springfield cemetery. Lawrence county. 
Mr-. Burnell married secondly in March. 
1865. William Musgrove, and came with 
her family to reside in German township, 
where she remained until her death. Wil- 
liam Musgrove, the step-father of the sub- 
ject of our sketch, died January [3, [ 895 ; 
her mother born July 21, 1826. died April 
24, [903. Both are buried in Butler cem- 
etery in German township. Mrs. Butler's 
parents had a family of three children. 
They were, besides herself, Quintes and 
Mulford, who died in childhood. Her 
mother bv her second marriage had seven 



384 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



children, namely: Symmia, deceased; An- 
drew: Mauzella, deceased; Filina; Efne, de 
ceased; Warren and Erdie, deceased; Bu 
loan Burnell remained at home with her 
parents until her marriage in 1X69. 

From the money which George Butler 
received and saved while serving in the Civ- 
il war. he bought eighty acre-- of raw tim- 
ber land in German township. ( >n this lie 
built a log house and made a clearing on 
the land and at the time of his marriage 
moved with his wife into the place where 
they lived for several years. About the 
year [882 he sold the land and changed to 
another farm in German township in which 
they now reside. Their property now con- 
sists of three hundred and sixty-two acres 
of the choicest land, all of which is in Ger- 
man township. In iSSS. the subject of 
our sketch had hnilt upon his land a two- 
story house of seven rooms, which 01-1 
about two thousand dollars. 

( >ur subject and wife are the parents of 
four children, only two of whom grew to 
maturity, one dying in infancy. The others 
arc Bertha E., Burton F... and I'.ennie II., 
who died aged seven years. Bertha E. is 
the wife "f Harvey Stoltz, residing in Zal- 
ma, Missouri, where Mr. Stoltz is engaged 
in the moving and transfer business; they 
are prosperous and are the parents of three 
children. Marrietta, Hester and George. 
Burton Butler married Glennie Bauman; 
they reside on a portion of his father's 
property in German township and are very 
successful; three children were horn to 
them. Lady June, Trail and Katie Jean. 

Butler in his early \. nded 



only the subscription schools, hut never 

continued in attendance for three months 
altogether. Owing to Ins heavy farm du- 
ties and his enlistment in the army at the 
age of seventeen, his schooling was almost 
entirely neglected, lie did not even learn 
to read at school, and never held a pen in 
his hand. These necessary accomplish- 
ments he had to acquire in after life 
through self-study. His wife met with 
much the same experience during her early 
life, although she is now well able to read 
and write. 

George Butler is a member of the Bour- 
ier Post, Grand Army of the Republic No. 
92, at Olney, Illinois. In politics he has 
always been a Republican. His first bal- 
lot for President was cast while in the 
army and went to Abe Lincoln. lie has 
always taken an interest in local politics, 
and served as Road Commissioner for over 
nine years in German township, and as 
School Director for over thirty years. He 
and his wife and all members of Ids family 
are regular attendants of the Methodist 
church. 



GEORGE C. WELLS. 

The fact that the subject was one of the 
patriotic sons of the north who offered his 
services and his life, if need be. on the field 
of battle in defense of the flag during the 
dark days of the rebellion, entitles him to 
the high honor which is due everyone oi 
the gallant boys in blue. 

George C. Wells was born in Washing- 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



38; 



ton county, Rhode Island, January 20, 
1S44. the son of Peter C. and Elizabeth 
(Stillman) Wells, both natives of the same 
county, in Rhode Island. He was a farmer 
and died in 1872, at the age of sixty-six 
years; she passed away in July, 1888, at 
the age of seventy-eight years. The sub- 
ject's parents had seven children, namely . 
Anna Elizabeth ; Maria, of Alleghany 
county, Xew York; Harriett, living in 
Rhode Island; George Clark, our subject; 
Adeline, Emeline and Oscar, all living in 
Rhode Island. 

The subject of this sketch was educated 
in the home schools and Alford College, 
New York. In July, 1862, he enlisted for a 
period of three years in Company A, 
Seventh Rhode Island Volunteer Infantry, 
at Hopkinton, Rhode Island. He was in 
the army of the Potomac, Ninth Army 
Corps. He was in the great battle of Fred- 
ericksburg and was shot in the right hip, 
December 13, 1862, and was sent to Wash- 
ington, District of Columbia, where he re- 
mained for one month, and he was in the 
home hospital for one year, was then dis- 
charged and came home. He served six 
months. After the war he went to Westerly, 
Rhode Island and engaged as a mechanic 
until December 10, 1865, when he came west 
and located in section 4, Meacham township, 
Marion county. Illinois. He first bought 
forty-four acres of land, but being thrifty 
and a good manager, he gradually added to 
this until he owned two hundred and ninety 
acres. He made all of the improvements on 



the place and was considered one of the 
best farmers in the township. 

Our subject was united in marriage Feb- 
ruary 16, 1868. with Emma L. Brown, a 
native of Niagara county, New York, and 
three children have blessed this union, 
namely: Oscar C, who married Inez Ran- 
dolph. He is a farmer and poultry raiser 
in Meacham township, and the father of 
five children. Gale, Glenn, Ora, Elsie and 
George. Harriett, the subject's second 
child, is living at home; Lena, the young- 
est, is also a member of the home circle. 
Oscar Wells taught school for many years. 
Lena is now in the Farina high school. 

The subject carries on a general farm- 
ing business, raises Red Polled stock, Red 
Comb and Brown Leghorn chickens, Pekin 
ducks and several varieties of good live 
stock. Since 1896 Mr. Wells has been liv- 
ing in practical retirement, however, he still 
oversees his farm. He has for many years 
dealt very successfully in poultry, feed and 
fertilizers. He has held several of the 
township offices, and is a Republican of 
pronounced convictions. 

Mr. Wells is a member of the Grand 
Army of the Republic, No. 426. at Farina, 
Illinois. He has been commander of the 
same, having held all the offices of this 
post. He is a member of the Seventh Day 
Baptist church' at Farina. Mr. Wells de- 
serves a great deal of credit for what he 
has accomplished. He started life poor, 
but being ambitious he worked hard and 
has achieved eminent success, being today 



3 86 



B k \ i ■ 1 1 1 1 \ I \\n REMINISCEN1 HIS nun m 



one of the solid and substantia] men ol 
his township and well and Favorably known 
by ever) one. He is remembered as a 
teacher of more than ordinary ability, hav- 
ing taught scln ini for six years, one year in 
the Farina, Illinois, high school. What his 
hand and mind have found to do he lias 
done with his might, and having attained 
a commanding position among his contem- 
poraries he wears his honor in a becoming 

maimer. 



\\ IX I- 1 I'M) S. LACEY. 

Among the citizens of Meacham town- 
ship, Marion county, whose lives have hcen 
led along such worthy lines of endeavor 
that they have endeared themselves to their 
fellow citizens, thereby being eligible for 
representation in a volume of this nature. 
i~- the gentleman whose name appears 
abo\ e. 

Winfield S. Lacey was born in Morrow 
county, Ohio, September 30, [849, the son 
of Hiram G, and Sophia (Sell) Lacey, the 
former a native of Ohio, who grew to man- 
hood there and married before leaving that 
count)-, lie lived in Ohio until [855, 

when he brought hi- family to Marion 
county. Illinois, settling in Meacham town- 
ship, lie drove through the country from 

Ohio, bringing twentj two head of cows 

with him. also three teams. lie secured 
one hundred and twenty acres of land in 
sections 10 and 15. It was partly improved 
and had an old house, eighteen b\ thirty-six 



feet, of split timber, and there was an old 
log stable. These soon gave way to com- 
fortable and substantial buildings, and the 
place was pnt under a high slate of im- 
provements. Being thrifty he soon bought 
more land and lived on this place until his 
death. His wife died in Farina, this state. 
They were Methodists. Mr. Lacey was a 
Republican, but never aspired to office. 
The following children were born to them: 
Gabriel S., who lives in Meacham town- 
ship; Mahala also lives in Meacham town- 
ship: Thomas S. lives in the same town- 
ship: Francis M.. enlisted in the Union 
army when eighteen years old and served 
during the war. After the war be mar- 
ried and moved to Cowley county. Kansas; 
Abram I'"., was also a soldier in the Federal 
ranks, who served three years. After the 
war he returned to his home in this county, 
where be remained until his death; A. II.. 
resides on the old place, and was also a 
soldier: Nancy married Michael Units, 
and is living in Meacham township; \Y. S.. 
our subject; Anthony and Catherine were 
twins, the former is deceased, and the lat- 
ter is the wife of Jacob Althon, of Clay 
county. Illinois; Hiram is living in Meach- 
am township, this county; Hugh i^ de 
ceased; Mary is the wife of Douglas 
Roberts, who lives in Fayette county. 
Illinois. 

The subject of this sketch bad only a lim- 
ited education, not having an opportunity 
to attend school very long in his youth, lie 
remained a member of the parental family 
circle until be was twenty four years old. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



387 



He was married February 27, 1873, to 
Nancy Hitchcock, of Harrison county, Ohio, 
the daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth Hitch- 
cock. Her parents moved to Marion 
county, Illinois, in 1870, and located in 
Omega township, where they remained two 
years and then moved to Meacharr town- 
ship, remaining here one year, then they 
went to Iowa, where Mr. Hitchcock died. 
His wife is living at this writing in Ne- 
braska. Seven children were born to the 
subject and wife as follows: Edward, who 
is farming in Meacham township, married 
Margaret Gotshall, of Ohio: Lydia, who is 
now deceased, was the wife of Lon Myres : 
Hainan is living in Farina, Illinois, en- 
gaged in the hardware business, and in mar- 
ried to Olive Warren: Orville is deceased: 
Hugh is also deceased ; Ollie married Jesse 
Xonnan, and is living in Meacham town- 
ship : Milton is living at home. These 
children attended the local schools, receiving 
fairly good educations. 

After his marriage the subject bought 
forty acres of land in Meacham township 
lives, in section 4, Meacham township. It 
was raw land, but Mr. Lacey was always a 
and lived there for three years, when he 
sold out and bought the place where he now 
hard worker and a good manager, and he 
rapidly improved the place up to its present 
high state of efficiency. The subject now 
owns three hundred and forty acres, which 
he rents, being now retired. His farm is 
well up to the standard of Marion county's 
choice farms, being well fenced, and in 
everv way in fr. st class condition. He has 



a substantial and beautiful dwelling and a 
good barn and other out buildings. 

No little part of Mr. Lacey's income has 
been derived from live stock, raising an ex- 
cellent grade of hogs, cattle and sheep. He 
is also a good judge of horses and has al- 
ways kept some fine ones. He has devoted 
his life to farming, consequently he has 
mastered every detail of this class of busi- 
ness. In politics he is a Populist, but has 
never held office. He started in life in a 
small way, but he is now one of the sub- 
stantial men of the township, having gained 
all his property unaided, by his careful man- 
agement and hard work. The subject's first 
wife was called to her rest in February. 
1903, and he married Rebecca Minard. of 
Harrison county, Ohio, in October. 1905. 
Mr. Lacey is known by the people of Mea- 
cham township for his honesty and useful 
life. 



JOHN THOMAS HAUSER. 

The people in the vicinity of Claremont 
township and we might say of Richland 
county in general, are well acquainted with 
the life history of its pioneer inhabitants, 
and the story of the career of John T. 
Hauser is not the least known. He was 
born on the 28th day of December, 18 17. 
in Stokes county, now known as Forsythe 
county, in North Carolina, the son of John 
and Annie Hauser. both of his parents na- 
tives of the state in which they lived: his 
1111 'tlier's maiden name being Canuse. 



3 88 



Itli k;k.\ 1- 1 1 li VI. AND REMINISCENT IMMnRY OF 



When six years old his father died and he 
came in be of much assistance to his mother 

On the family farm. At the age of fifteen 
lie started in to learn the trade of shoe- 
maker and. upon becoming a proficient 
workman, he left home. I lis travels took 
him over various portions of the Carolina- 
ami the state of Kentucky, successfully ply- 
ing his trade as he went along. On the 
outbreak of an epidemic of cholera during 
his stay in Kentucky he decided to return 
home, traveling by way of the famous Cum- 
berland Gap. A short time after his re- 
turn his mother died and once more he set 
about to seek a change. He was then aboul 
twenty-three years of age and upon settling 
Upon a small farm in .the state of Ohio, he 
-'">n married. His choice fell upon Lucy 
Clrich. but their married life was unfortu- 
nately a brief one, his wife dying in the 
following year, being buried at New Phil- 
adelphia. On March _' i . 1S51. he married 
Elizabeth, the widow of ()li\er Weaver. 
She was the daughter of Jacob and Eliza- 
beth Cable, natives of Pennsylvania, who 
came to the state prior to the War of 1N12, 
both of wlii nn were well known and respect- 
ed in the community. 

John T. llauser's life in Ohio was not 
an uneventful one. I hose were early Ohian 
days; many Indians still lingered in the 
western pan of the stale, reluctant t" leave 
their patrimony; game abounded in large 
quantities; marauding hears and ferocious 
wolves were 11 a uncommon visitors, and 
consequently many hardships were suffered. 

In the year 1867, mice more a prey to 



wandering instincts — and possibly with a 

view of taking a hand in "the winning of the 
West," the subject of our sketch pressed 
onward to Illinois, where lie settled on a 
farm in Richland county. On his arrival 
he set t, , vv irk and built a rude house, anil 
two months later, his wife and family ar- 
rived in the new surroundings in which they 
were destined to live. Year after year has 
seen improvements made mi the property. 
'fhe land today is in an admirable state of 
cultivation. A substantial brick house has 
been erected. 

The death of his wife occurred on the 
26th of September, 190N. Seven children 
resulted from the union, all of whom are 
still living. In order of birth they are : 
Anna Elizabeth, Cable, Ira A.. Susie, John 
I... Benjamin f'.. and Harvey E. 

John T. Hauser has now reached the ripe 
age of ninety-one years — an age not reached 
by very many in iwadays. 

Such a man as John T. Hauser could 
not fail to be drawn into the whirlpool of 
at least one of the st rubles for supremacy 
that convulsed the country in the early half 
of the century. He passed through the Civil 
war. serving four arduous years in an Ohio 
regiment. At different periods of the time 
he served under Grant and Sherman. He 
is a member of Grand Army. Post No. 92, 
,1! t '. ( |h, mil. 

In religion Mr. Hauser is a member of 
the Methodist communion, though formerly 
he was affiliated with the German Moravian 
church for many years. While his health 
permitted he was ever active in church work. 



KICHLAXD, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



389 



His wife was for twenty years a German 
Lutheran, but at the time of her death she 
was a Methodist. 

.Mr. Hauser has ever been a Republican 
in politics and. had his delicate health per- 
mitted him. would have attended the elec- 
tion of November, 1908. Had he clone so 
he would have voted for eighteen consecu- 
tive Presidents of the United States. 



SAMUEL PUFFER. 

Prominently identified with the industrial 
and civic affairs of Marion county is the 
subject of this sketch who is one of the 
leading farmers of this locality, residing on 
a beautiful farmstead in Meacham township, 
which he has improved. 

Samuel Puffer was born in Effingham 
county. Illinois. June 11. 1848, the son of 
John Puffer, a native of Maury county, 
Tennessee. He married Martha J. Gray, in 
Illinois. He was the son of Samuel Puffer, 
a native of the Xew England states, who 
came to Tennessee in an early day. About 
1833 he came to Marion county, Illinois, 
and settled near Kinmundy. His father came 
later and lived with him until the latter's 
death. His wife died in Tennessee. He 
married a Miss Eagan. His second wife was 
a Miss Caldwell. He had two sons and a 
daughter by his first wife and two daughters 
by his second marriage. The subject's 
father located in Effingham county, Illinois, 
about 1836, taking up government land on 



Fulfer creek, where he lived until about 
1857. when he went to Collins county, 
Texas, where he secured eighty acres of 
land and in 1862 he went to Bates county, 
Missouri, where he owned a farm of one 
hundred and twenty acres. He died there 
in 1862. having been preceded to the other 
world by his wife in 185 1. He married a 
second time, this wife being Lovina New- 
man, who died in Texas. He again mar- 
ried, his third wife being a Miss Degraften- 
read, of Texas. There were two children by 
his second wife, one dying when small 
John, who grew to maturity, lived in Mis- 
souri, and went to Colorado in 1890. 

The subject of this sketch came to Ma- 
rion county, Illinois, in 1862, and located 
near Kinmundy, where he lived until 1878, 
when he bought a farm of one hundred acres 
in Meacham township, section 7, where he 
has since lived. He made all the improve- 
ments on his farm, which is considered equal 
in every way to any in the county, and he has 
a beautiful, well furnished and comfortable 
home. 

On February 12, 1872, the subject was 
united in marriage with Sarah Eagan, of 
Kinmundy township, the daughter of Isaac 
and Athlina Tulley, the former of Tennes- 
see, where his youth was spent. They 
were pioneers of Marion county, first set- 
tling at Salem, later at Kinmundy. He was 
the owner of a large tract of land, part of 
which is the present site of Kinmundy. He 
died in 1874 and his wife passed away in 
1888. They were the parents of eight chil- 
dren, of whom four are living at this writ- 



390 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



ing, namely: John, who resides in Kin- 
mundy township; Sarah, the subject's wife; 
Ras, of Salem. Illinois; Harriett, widow of 
James Hayworth, of Kinmundy. Two chil- 
dren have lieen born to the subject and wife, 
namely: Myrtle, the wife of Charles E. 
\\ enck, who lives east of Farina. Illinois; 
Mae, who was maried June 24. 1903. to 
.Mark Boyd, of Meacham township, and 
who is the mother of one son. Richard F. 
Mark Boyd lives with the subject and as- 
sists him in managing the place. Mr. Puffer 
has lived on his present place since 1878. He 
carries on general farming in such a man- 
ner as to gain a comfortable living from 
year to year and lay by a competency for his 
old age. His farm is well improved and he 
raises not only good crops of various kinds. 
but also excellent horses, hogs and cattle. He 
has held some of the township offices, and is 
a loyal Democrat, lie is a member of the 
Cumberland I'resbyterian church. He de- 
served a great deal of credit for what he 
has accomplished. Having started in life a 

I r hoy, he has, by hard work, achieved 

success. 



PERRY SAYRE, 



Action is the keynote of the character of 
all who achieve success on this planet of 
ours — action subtilly planned and carefully 
carried out. The successful life story of the 
subject of this sketch is a case in point, be- 
ne 1 if a determined si niggle fi ir a definite 
purp 

He is now comfortably established on his 



farm of two hundred and forty acres, which 
he has wrested from a resisting nature and 
improved year by year, and which through 
his efforts is now as good land as Richland 
county contains. 

lie was horn in November, [857, a short 
distance from Wavevlv, in Ross county, 
Ohio, and was the son of David 0. and 
Frances Sayre. His mother, whose maiden 
name was Lee, belonged to an old Virginia 
family. His father came at an early age 
from Virginia with his parents, who set- 
tled >n a farm in Ross county. Here he as- 
sisted his parents on the farm until his mar- 
riage with Perry's mother, at which time he 
purchased a farm of forty acres in the same 
county. There Perry was horn and there 
his life was spent until the family, including 
the grandparents, who also wished to come 
further afield, migrated to Illinois. As no 
railroad communication was established at 
the time the itinerary was made overland, 
the tedious journey was not performed with- 
out a mishap, however, for in the accidental 
breakdown of a light wagon Grandmother 
Sayre sustained injuries from which she 
never completer) recovered. The two fam- 
ilies finally landed in fasper c unity. Illinois, 
where they DOUghl farms and settled in the 
vicinity of Newton, Perry being then in his 
seventh year. Shortly afterwards his grand- 
father and grandm ither passed away, the 
space of three or four weeks only separating 
their demise. They were buried near New- 
ton. In the spring of [865 the following 
year — his parents sold their property and re- 
moved once more. Clareniont township. 
Richland count v. was the destination on 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MAKION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



391 



this occasion. Here the parental farm con- 
sisted of forty acres which continued to in- 
crease until it comprised one hundred and 
twenty-eight acres. The land they settled 
was mostly unimproved. At first the build- 
ings thereon consisted of a small log house 
and stable, and only eight acres had been 
cleared for cultivation. Clearing the land, 
making important improvements and build- 
ing a substantial homestead were the occu- 
pations of the following years, a period in 
which the youthful Perry underwent a 
strenuous apprenticeship. 

The subject of our sketch is the third 
member of a family of four children. The 
other members living are Ellen and Henry 
Clinton. Another brother, named Harrison, 
died a few years ago. On February 5, 1900, 
his father died at the age of seventy-two. 
The family burial lot at Antioch contains 
the remains of his father and brother. His 
mother is still alive, being in her seventy- 
fourth year and enjoying good health. 

Perry had two uncles who saw active ser- 
vice in the Civil war, each one sacrificing 
his life for the Union cause. Their fate 
was very sad. One languished as a prisoner 
of war in Salisbury prison, where he was 
allowed to starve to death; the other was 
killed in battle. Both served in Ohio regi- 
ments, and in General Grant's division. 

We have already touched upon his moth- 
er's antecedents. She was born in [834, 
and like her husband, came to Ohio from 
Virginia with her parents in early life. Her 
mother died in 1885 and her father in 1890. 
She was the fourth eldest of a family of 



nine children — three boys and six girls. Her 
eldest brother also is a Civil war veteran. 

Perry remained with his parents on the 
farm up t 1 the time of his marriage to 
Amanda E. Chaplain on September 9, 1882, 
when he moved onto the farm he now occu- 
pies. The property had then a very prim- 
itive appearance. It boasted a log cabin and 
the land around was almost totally uncleared. 
The soil was marshy and in the springtime 
it closely resembled a frog-pond. Then it 
was that Perry Sayre performed by far the 
most strenuous work of his life. He cleared, 
drained and ditched the land. In time he 
was repaid for his efforts. It became as 
good a farm as any in the vicinity. An in- 
stance of his industriousness at this period 
may not be amiss. In wintertime when farm 
work was at a standstill he cut and made 
railroad ties and fence posts, etc., selling the 
posts at three cents and the ties at twenty- 
eight cents a piece. In the course of time 
he built a substantial frame structure where- 
in he still lives. Each year has seen im- 
provements, which go to make his the home 
of a prosperous farmer. 

His family life has been happy. Two of 
his children have grown to maturity, the 
only other dying in early life. His two sons, 
Clarence and Roy, live in St. Louis, where 
they are skilled workmen, and a constant 
source of comfort and satisfaction to their 
parents on the farm in Illinois. 

Mrs. Perry Sayre was the daughter of 
Perry and Ellen Chaplin. Ohio folk, who 
came to Illinois in the year 1851. Her mi >ther 
died some years ago, but her father still 



392 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT 111-ToKV OF 



survives at the age of seventy-five. She is 
the fifth in order of succession of a family 
of ten children, six of whom grew to main 
riiy. In the regular order her living sisters 
and brothers are: Otis O.. Milton !•'.. 
Nfanna B., Ellen and Curtis. 

Outside of agricultural pursuits, .Mr. 
Sayre is a good business man. As a boy he 
attended the Claremont common school-, at- 
tending whenever possible until his twen- 
tieth year, and receiving all the education 
that the institution could give bun. 

Rutherford I'>. Have- was the first 1 'resi- 
dent for win >m he voted. Though not ag- 
gressive in politics he takes a passing inter- 
est in the game, and when election time 
comes he is always found solidly Repub- 
lican. Iii the spring elections of 1908 — 
pressure being brought t" bear upon him t<> 
come forward as a candidate. lie did so 
and came within a vote of being elected 
Township Supervisor of Claremont. Strange 
t" say he was himself responsible for bis 
opponent's victory. IK- chivalrously re- 
corded In- vote i 'i' him. thereby placing him 
in office by the -lender margin of one. Perry 

Sayre and In- wife have been ever active 
in Meth »h-t church affair-. 



LEWIS COMBS. 



I jhty years have dissolved in the mists 
of time since the venerable subject of this 
sketch first saw the light of da) and they 

have been years of failure- and triumphs. 



victories and defeat-, sorrows and joys, but 
withal, satisfactory as most lives of honest 
endeavor as his has been. 

Lewis Combs was born in Dubois 
county. Indiana. November 20. 1828, the 
son of John Combs, of Tennessee. His 
mother's name was Delila Vancouver, a na- 
tive of Scott county, Indiana. John Combs 
went with his parents when a boy to Du- 
bois county. Indiana, where they were pio- 
neers. They secured wild land which they 
cleared, made a comfortable home and 
on which they died. John Combs lived 
to about 1842. He came by wagon, bring- 
ing seven head of horses to Walnut Prairie, 
Clark county. Illinois, and later to Marion 
county, settling in Meacham township on 
Scritchfield Prairie, where he stayed two 
years and went back to Indiana, remaining 
there one year when he returned to Marion 
county, Illinois, where he remained for six 
years. Then he went to Missouri where 
he remained for two years, moving then to 
Arkansas, where he died. Hi- wife died in 
Indiana. They were the parents of six 
children, a- follows: Lewis, our subject; 
Starling'; Wesley, Smith, Minerva Lytle; 
the la-t four named are all deceased. 

Lewis Combs, our subject, had no chance 
to go t" school anil learn to read and write. 
He remained with his father until twenty 
years "Id when lie began working out at 
various places, lie fir-t bought fort) acres 
1 if land in < tanega township, Marion county, 
Illinois, in 1N04. He sold this the following 
year and located where he now lives in sec- 
tion :;;. Meacham township, then known a- 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



393 



Miletus township. He served as postmaster 
for a period of fourteen years. He was 
married three times, first to Martha 
Schritchfield, a native of Indiana. His sec- 
ond wife was Isabelle Simonds, a native of 
Kentucky, and his third wife was Caroline 
Melton, a widow of Christopher Melton and 
a daughter of Charles and Rebecca Lock- 
hart. The latter was a native of Orange 
county, Indiana. The subject's wife was 
born in Clay county, Illinois, in 1841. Her 
parents located in Oskaloosa, Illinois, and 
in i860 went to Arkansas. Her husband 
in 1862 enlisted and was taken sick at 
Helena, Arkansas, and died at St. Louis in 
a hospital in October, 1862. The family 
came to Clay county, Illinois, and the 
mother died in March. 1895. Three chil- 
dren were born to them, namely : Martha, 
who died in April, 1862; Caroline, the wife 
of our subject: May. who died April 10, 
1863. Our subject has six children by his 
first wife, namely: Frances, widow of 
Thomas Garner, and she lives near Salem. 
Illinois; Louisa married Austin Hanks, of 
Omega township ; Logan is a farmer in 
Meacham township; Julia is the wife of 
Lorenzo Phillips, of Omega township: Aus- 
tin is a farmer in Clay county, Illinois; 
Samuel, the sixth child, is deceased. The 
subject had four children by his second 
wife, namely: Xellie, the wife of Frank 
Dravance, of Effingham county. Illinois; 
Ella is the wife of Henry Smith, living 
near Salem. Illinois; Lee is a farmer in 
Omega township; Edgar died when young. 
Two children have been born to the sub- 



ject and his third wife, namely : Mae, who 
is the wife of Jesse Payon, a teacher of 
Marion county; Bessie is the wife of Loyd 
Hanks, of Meacham township. Mrs. Combs 
had eight children by her first husband, 
six of whom are still living, namely : Louisa, 
who married Allen Smith, of Clay county, 
Illinois; Belle is deceased; Emma married 
Edward Threewit, of Meacham township ; 
Lockhart, of Sharpsburg, Illinois ; Martha is 
the wife of Walter King, of Meacham town- 
ship; Franklin is living in McCoupin county, 
Illinois, and he is engaged as engineer in 
the coal mines ; James is deceased ; Ellen is 
also deceased. 

The subject of this sketch purchased 
eighty acres of land where he now lives and 
first started to make a home. He kept add- 
ing to this by thrift and economy until he 
now has a farm of two hundred and sixteen 
acres in Meacham and Omega townships 
and where he carries on a general farming 
in such a manner as to stamp him as one 
of the leading farmers of the township. He 
has always been a stock dealer and is re- 
garded as one of the best judges of stock 
in the county. His farm has always been 
kept to a high standard of excellence and 
the soil has been so skillfully manipulated 
by the proper rotation of crops until it is 
as rich today as when he first took posses- 
sion of it. 

Mr. Combs has always been a loyal 
Democrat but he has never aspired to office, 
being content to devote his time to his work 
of the farm. Both he and his wife are 
faithful members of the Christian church. 



394 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



WILLI \M HENRY WILSON. 

The ancestors of the Illinois family of 

this name wore early pioneers of Ohio, set- 
tled in Licking county. In [851 the gran- 
parents if our subject removed to St. Paul, 
Minnesota, and entered four hundred and 
eighty acres of government land in Anoka 
county. The grandmother, whose fading 
health had caused the removal to the north- 
west, died there in [852, hut Iter husband 
long survived her. his death occurring in 
West Virginia in 1883, when he was more 
than eighty years old. lie left a son, Wil- 
liam O. B. Wilson, wh 1 remained with his 
parents on the Ohio farm until 1N50. when 
he married Alary Margaret Seymour, when 
they settled on a rented farm and worked it 
until 1853. Deciding then that they could 
improve their fortunes by going farther 
west, they emigrated to Illinois in wagons 
and encountered the usal hardships of trav- 
eling overland. Purchasing eighty acres of 
land in German township. Richland county, 
some years were spent in its improvement. 
Later, forty acres additional of timber was 
bought, ami from this the rails were cut and 
split for building fences and necessary dwell- 
ing and out houses. [n [86l, Mr. Wilson 
enlisted in Company !■'., Eleventh Regimenl 

Missouri Volunteer Infantry, commanded 
by Captain Levinson, of Olney, Illinois. 
After serving a year an attack of erysipelas 
compelled him to return home on a furlough. 

\fter returning to the army at the end of 
sixty days there was ;1 relapse, necessitating 
his removal to the hospital at Cape Girard- 



eau, Missouri, where he died and was bur- 
ied February, [862. His wife died June 
_»4. [861, shortly he fore his enlistment in 
the Union army. They had four children, 
of wh im only tw<> grew to maturity. 

William II. Wilson, one of the survivors 
of the family, was horn in Licking counts. 
Ohio, March 18, 1*53. and was conse- 
quently about nine years old when he he- 
came an orphan at the death of his father, 
lie went to live with his mother's parents, 
who had c ime to Illinois in [852, and set- 
tled on a rented farm in Richland county. In 
[859 they purchased eighty acres of laud in 
Lawrence county and it was here that their 
c irphaned grandchild j' lined them. The grand- 
mother died at the age of sixty-eight years 
and her husband survived until [872, when 
lie passed away at the age of seventy years. 

I his venerable couple were buried in Wag- 
oner cemetery by the side of then- daughter. 

\t the death of his grandfather, Mr. Wilson 
was nineteen years old and removed to Allen 
C unity, Kansas, but after a few months 
went back to Illinois. In [874 he again took 
up his abode in Kansas, but eventually re- 
turned to his old home, residing a while 111 
Lawrence county, but eventually taking up 
his permanent residence in Richland. He 
has prospered in his undertakings as the re- 
sult of hard work and good management. 

He owns eight) acres if well improved land 
as g iod as the best in Claremont township 
besides thirty-five acres j n Minnesota, in- 
herited from his grandfather. 

March [8th, Mr. Wilson was married to 

Phoebe Miller, who was born in Carroll 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



395 



county, Ohio, January 18. 1856. Her par- 
ents were Jacob and Phoebe (Lewis) Miller, 
natives of Ohio, who came to Illinois in 
1864, and settled in Richland county, where 
the latter died December 6. 1891, and her 
husband November 2J, 1894, aged seventy- 
six years. They had nine children, all of 
whom are still living, Mrs. Wilson being the 
sixth in order of birth. Mr. and Mrs. Wil- 
son have five children : Charles, Clifford, 
Clyde, Cloy and Cora. The first two men- 
tioned are married and both are prosperous 
farmers in Claremont township. The other 
three children, one son and two daughters, 
still remain with their parents. Mr. Wilson 
is a member of Amity Lodge, Court of 
Honor, in German township. Though not 
a member he attends services at the Meth- 
odist church and is interested in all good 
works undertaken by the denomination. In 
politics he is a Republican and takes an act- 
ive interest in all local campaigns. His first 
Presidential vote was cast for Rutherford 
B. Hayes in 1876, when he was twenty-three 
years old. Mr. Wilson has a comfortable 
home and an excellent farm which he has 
made by dint of much toil and trials that 
come to farmers. 



HENRY WILLIAM SEE, Sr. 

Our subject is the representative of an 
honored pioneer family of Marion county, 
so that a consideration of his genealogical 
and personal history becomes doubly inter- 



esting and doubly apropos in connection 
with the prescribed province of this publi- 
cation. Mr. See is one of the prominent 
fanners of Kinmundy township, having a 
finely improved landed estate of two hun- 
dred and forty-four acres and he is carrying 
forward his operations with that energy, 
foresight and careful discrimination which 
ever betoken the appreciative and model 
yeoman. 

Henry William See, Sr., is a native of 
Marion county, where he has been satisfied 
to spend his entire life, having been born 
April 30, 1849, in Kinmundy township, the 
son of Michael See, who married Elizabeth 
Allman May 1, 1848, and to this union the 
subject of this sketch was born, the mother 
dying when the son was seven months old. 

Our subject received his early education 
in the district schools of his native county 
where he applied himself in a careful man- 
ner to his studies. He spent his boyhood on 
his father's farm assisting with the work 
about the place until he reached maturity 
when he was married to Mary Alice Black- 
burn June 29, 1869, in Hillsboro, Mont- 
gomery county, Illinois, the ceremony which 
made them one having been performed by 
a Justice of the Peace. The family from 
which Mrs. See came were, many of them, 
known as eminent lawyers, doctors and 
preachers. On her mother's side of the 
house many of the family were Baptist 
ministers. Mary Alice was born March 16, 
1849, in Medora, Macoupin county, Illinois. 
Her father was George P. Blackburn, who 
was born in Huntsville. Alabama. May 24, 



39 6 



BIOGRAPHK \l. AND KEMINISCEN1 HISTOBY 01 



i s_m ». and who was married February 14. 
1N4N. in St. Louis, Missouri, to Emily E. 

Farrow, who was born in Mount Sterling, 
Kentucky. December 9, [830. Seven chil- 
dren were born to them, five girls and two 
boys, all of win mi lived to be grown and all 
married, the subject's wife being the oldest 
of the number. 

Our subject and wife are the parents of 
eight children, named in order of their birth 
as follows: Harry M., deceased; Ollie E., 
who married James I-asater; they live in 
Redlands, California, and are the parents of 
six children, an equal number of boys and 
girls. Ernest B.. the subject's third child, 
is deceased; Sabyon G. is also deceased; 
Mabel I. married J. R. Kelly, a Baptist min- 
ister of Highland. Illinois, and they are the 
parents of four sons; Emma A. married 
Dellis Malone and is the mother of one son. 
She lives in Taibin. Xew Mexico; Michael 
J. and Richard E. are both deceased. These 
children have received good educations and 
are fairly well situated in life. The subject 
has eleven grandchildren, all living but one 
girl. 

Mr. See has devoted his life to agricul- 
tural pursuit^, of which he has made an 
eminent success, now owning a line farm. 
mall pari of his income from year to 
year is the result of the successful handling 
of stock, he being an extensive breeder of 

Polled-Angus cattle, and g 1 horses. His 

farm is also well Stocked with many line 
varieties of chickens, among the prim 
breeds being the Black Langshan, which has 
often taken prizes at fairs and poultry 



shows. Mr. See is regarded as one of the 
best farmers in Kinmundy township as the 
general thrifty appearance of his place 
would indicate. He is always at work and 
never neglects anything about his place that 
needs his attention. 

Mr. See is a Democrat in his political 
relations and takes considerable interest in 
political affairs, always casting his ballot for 
the man whom he believes to be the best 
fitted morally and intellectually for the of- 
fice sought. He and his family are Mis- 
sionary Baptists as was also his ancestors, 
among whom was one minister. The Sees 
are regarded as people of the highest in- 
tegrity and are known as substantial citi- 
zens wherever they reside. Our subject's 
well improved property is a monument to 
his thrift and well directed efforts. He is a 
man of earnest purpose and upright life. 



J \MI'.S AUSTIN RICHEY. 

Mr. Richey is the owner of one of "the 
banner" farms of his county, ami there are 
very few indeed among his friends and 
neighbors who envy him the success which 
his honest efforts and steady onward plod 
ding has brought him. 

lames Austin Richey, of German town- 
ship, Richland county. Illinois, was bora 
August 10. [848, in Meigs county. Ohio, 
near Pomeroy, the county scat. He was 
the son of Thomas I... and Elizabeth 
(Frank) Richey. His father, who was born 
May 5, 1810, was a name of Pennsylvania; 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



397 



his mother, who was born March 2, 1808, 
was a native of Germany. Grandfather 
Richey was a native of Ireland. Thomas L. 
Richev came from Pennsylvania to Meigs 
county, Ohio, with his parents and re- 
mained with them on the family farm until 
thev died, his father dying first, and his 
mother survived for several years. Thomas 
L. Richey then worked for a man who was 
engaged in running produce boats down 
the Ohio river. He later worked on steam- 
boats running from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, 
to Xew Orleans, continuing in this empl iv- 
ment for several years. In Meigs county. 
Ohio, about the year 1834, he married Eliza- 
beth Frank. At this time he bought forty 
acres of land which he improved and sold, 
and with the proceeds of the sale he bought 
an eighty acre farm nearby, on which he re- 
mained until he sold out in 1855, and started 
with his wife and four children for Illinois. 
They took the riverboat at Racine, Ohio. 
down the Ohio river, landing in Evansville, 
Indiana, in the fall of 1855. Thomas L. 
Richey then made a prospecting trip to Illi- 
nois, where he bought one hundred and 
twenty acres in German township, Richland 
county, then returned to Evansville and 
brought his family to their new home, ar- 
riving in November, 1855. About thirty 
acres of the land was already cleared and a 
combination log and frame house stood in 
the clearing. This land had first been en- 
tered by Joseph Basden, his deed from the 
government being written on a piece of 
sheepskin. It was from Mr. Basden that the 
father of our subject bought the farm. 



At the time of the family migration to 
Illinois James Austin Richey was but seven 
years old. As soon as he was large enough 
to work his services were enlisted in the 
hard work of the clearing and farming pro- 
cesses. In those far off pioneer davs great 
herds of deer roamed the woods and prairies 
and flocks of wild turkey and much wild 
game of all kinds were abundant. He 
worked hard and faithfully assisted his par- 
ents until their deaths, his father dying in 
the fall of 1874. at the age of sixty-five. His 
mother died in January, 1877, aged sixty- 
six years. Both are buried in Lone Tree 
cemetery in Prairieton, Lawrence county. 
The}- were the parents of six children, only 
four of whom grew to maturity, James Aus- 
tin being the youngest in order of birth. 
John Andrew and Sarah Matilda are de- 
ceased. Mary died some years ago : the 
two other children dying in infancy. James 
Austin Richey, the only living member of 
his family, was married to Mary W. Richey 
on the 14th of October, 1879. Mary Richey 
was born in Meigs county, Ohio, on the 
19th of February. 1857. She was the 
daughter of Hugh David and Cyrena 
( Xease) Richey. both natives of Ohio. Her 
grandparents 011 both sides are now dead 
and are buried in Meigs county, Ohio. Her 
parents were married in April, 1856, and 
lived in Syracuse, Ohio, until they came to 
Illinois in the same year, where they re- 
mained but a few months. Her father had 
bought a farm in Richland county and his 
son, David, had come to live upon it. After 
a few months the family returned to Ohio, 



39 8 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTOR\ "I 



where Mary W. Richej was born. They 
remained in ( >hio till [864, when they again 
returned to Illinois and settled in Richland 
unty, where the) remained 1 n a farm in 
Claremont township until [881, when a 
change was made to Flora, Illinois. Here 
Mrs. Richey's father died on January 30, 

1 mi 14. at the age of seventy-one years, and 
was buried in the cemetery at Flora. His 
widow still survives him and live-* in Flora, 
reaching the age of seventy-two years on 
September 30, [908! Mrs. Richey's parents 
had four children horn to them. 1 [er brothers 

Arthur and \\ illiani I-'... are still li\ ing and a 
sister, Ida. died when eighteen months old. 
James Austin Richey and his wife at the 
time of their marriage settled on the farm 
in which they still live. Previous to his 
marriage he built the present substantial 
house at the cost of one thousand dollars. 

( >ther g 1 improvements on the farm were 

also made. I 'pun the death of a sister, James 

\u>tin Richey, together with the members 
of his family, moved to Arkansas, where the 
family lived for about two years and a half 
in Green county. After the death of his 
elder brother in Illinois, the subject of our 
sketch and the members of his family re- 
turned to Richland county in the year 1905. 
During his farming career in German town- 
ship he has been successful ami is now the 
possessor of a farm which embraces two 
hundred and forty acre-. 

Three boys and two girls constitute the 

family of Mr. and Mrs. Richey ; all are now 
grown up. the youngesl being fourteen years 

'Id. In the regular order their names are: 
Thomas K.. who is married to Clara i'.. Al- 



sey, and they live on a farm in German 
township; Clem 1 >. is the husband of Mamie 
Young; they reside on a farm in German 
township. Bessie Blanche, Cerena Maude 
ami William Earl, all three reside at home 
with their parents and arc single. 

The subjeel of our sketch attended several 
winter terms of the free common school in 
Amity school district. When sixteen years 
of age he IkuI to devote himself entirely to 
farm life and thus his education was not of 
a vcr\ complete nature, lie obtained a i, r ood 
general training, however, becoming pro- 
ficient in reading, writing, arithmetic and 
spelling. 

James Austin Richey's father and elder 
brother, John, served through the Civil war. 
his father having enlisted December 1. 1S61, 
and his brother in [862. Father Richey 
joined the Sixty-third Illinois Regiment, 
Company A. under Captain Glaze (after- 
wards promoted to colonel. Captain Mc- 
Clure taking charge of the company). 
Thomas L. Richey was soon promoted to 
the rank of sergeant and went to the sea 
on the march with Sherman. On the 13th 
of July. [864, he was mustered out of ser- 
vice, obtaining surgeon's certificate of total 
disability, his term 1 if sen ice ha\ ing a ivered 
two years ami eight months. John Richey 
served hut a little over a year, being dis- 
charged in St. Louis in the spring of [863, 
from the hospital there on account of his 
broken health, lie was attacked with the 
measles at Memphis. Tennessee, brought 

about h\ the hardships entailed and lack ol 
shelter. 

James Vustin Richey has served as School 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



399 



Director in the home district for twelve 
years, while his wife served in the capacity 
of post mistress at Amity post-office in Ger- 
man township, for over three years. He 
also served as Road Supervisor for two 
terms in German township. He has a good 
record as a resident of German township, 
having lived for fifty-two consecutive years 
in the same school district. He was in the 
township when the first school-house was 
built in the year 1855. 

In the arena of party politics, James Aus- 
tin Richey is a strong Republican, having 
always voted a straight national and state 
ticket. His first vote went to Lincoln to 
help him into office for a second term. He 
has never taken a very active part in local 
politics as he has always strenuously object- 
ed to be foisted into public office. 

Mr. and Airs. Richey are members of the 
Methodist Episcopal church in German town- 
ship, where they have always held member- 
ship with the exception of the two years 
spent in Arkansas, when membership was 
transfered to the church there. The Richeys 
have always been active in church work and 
church duties. 



TOHN SMITH. 



The subject of this sketch early in life 
realized the fact that success never smiles 
upon the idler or dreamer and he has ac- 
cordingly followed such an aphorism, de- 
voting his life to ardent toil along lines that 



cannot but insure success. The prosperity 
which he enjoys has been the result of energy 
lightly applied and has been won by com- 
mendable qualities. 

John Smith, one of the progressive 
farmers of Tonti township, Marion county. 
Illinois, was born in this locality October 7, 
1838, the son of Britton and Mahala (Fos- 
ter) Smith. Great-grandfather Smith was a 
soldier in the Revolutionary war. having 
taken part in many of the famous battles 
and strenuous campaigns of the same. This 
old family finally settled in North Carolina, 
where Britton Smith was born in 181 1, on 
November 7. He came to Tennessee and 
then to Marion county, Illinois, in 1829, 
among the pioneers and overcome the ob- 
stacles always to be encountered in such a 
country, however, he remained here only 
about a year when he returned to Tennes- 
see, but soon returned to Illinois bringing 
his father, having been enthusiastic of the 
prospects in the new country, believing that 
the future was filled with great possibilities. 
The entire family made the trip from Ten- 
nessee as soon as they could arrange to do 
so and they set to work at once making a 
home here, where their labors were richly 
rewarded by mother nature, who seldom 
fails in just compensation for labor 
expended in her domain. 

Our subject's father was united in mar- 
riage in 1836 to Mahala Foster and settled 
in section 28, in Tonti township. His wife 
was the daughter of the well known Hon. 
Hardy Foster, who was an early settler 
in this county, having come here from 



400 



BIOGRAPHK \l. \\l> REMINISCENT lliylnKS 01 



Georgia, becoming popular and a leader 
in political affairs, having represented 
this district in the legislature. Fos- 
ter township was named in honor of this 
pioneer. Britton Smith at one time owned 
two hundred acres of land in this county. 
being one of the best known farmers in this 
locality and he also took much interest in 
local politics, having' served as Deputy 
Sheriff of Marion county for about seven- 
teen years, during which time he rendered 
much valuable service to the public. He 
was a Democrat in bis political faith. From 
time to time lie held several township 
■ iffices. 

John Smith, our subject, was born here 
and worked upon the farm, having a poor 
chance to receive an education. However, he 
applied himself as best be could and lias 
since broadened bis intellectual horizon by 
general reading' and travel. 

When twenty-one years old Mr. Smith 
went to Texas, where he remained a short 
time. In 1862 be was united in marriage 
with Flotiller Nichols, who passed away 
fourteen months after her marriage, and on 
< tctober _>, 1S6S. Mr. Smith married Eliza- 
beth Smith, who was reared in this part of 
Illinois, and who was called to her rest in 
November, 1877. Two children were born 
ubject, one of whom, Charles B., is 
living in this county. His date of birth oc 
curred in 1873. Our subject was again 
married, his third wife being Lenora E. 
I oe, who is also now deceased, lie was 
married a fourth time to Martha C. 1 Mea- 
don) Lawson, who has also been called to 



her rest. Four children were bom to Mi. 
Smith by his third wife, three of whom art 
living. Our subject has devoted his life 
principally to farming with the result that 
he bas achieved definite success in this field 
of endeavor, for he lias great ability in ag- 
ricultural lines and is a bard worker. He 
at present owns eighty-one acres of land in 
tbis township, which have been developed 
into an excellent farm, being very produc- 
tive and yields excellent crops from year to 
year. He lias an excellent residence, well 
furnished and all the necessarj equipments 
for carrying on successful fanning 111 a 
general way. Although Mr. Smith has now 
retired from the farm, he still oversees its 
management. 

( )ur subject is a faithful member of the 
Methodist Episcopal church. South, being 
one of the Stewards of the local church, and 
is at tbis writing (1908) superintendent of 
the Sunday school. Fraternally be is a 
member of the Independent Order of Odd 
Fellows at Patoka. Lodge X". S60. In poli- 
tics be is a Democrat and takes a lively in- 
terest in local political affairs, having served 
as Township Assessor, also as Township 
Clerk, and Township Treasurer, which 
office he still holds, having bad charge of 
the same since [885. Tbis would indicate 
that be lias given entire satisfaction in the 
dispensation of all bis public duties, and is 
held in strictest confidence by bis constitu- 
ents else be would no1 have been entrusted 
with so many important public offices, nor 
retained SO 1> nig. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



4OI 



JOHN BECK. 

The history of Mr. Beck has for many 
years been entwined with that of German 
township, Richland count}-, in which he 
lives, where he has always been regarded 
as a valuable and influential citizen and one 
who possesses all the higher qualities of the 
successful farmer. 

John Beck was born in Stark county, 
Ohio, on the 30th of July. 1841, and was 
the son of Jacob and Elizabeth (Phillips) 
Beck. Both were natives of Pennsylvania, 
the former having been born on the 28th 
of January, 1797, and Elizabeth Phillips in 
April, 1806. Jacob remained at home with 
his parents on the farm in the Keystone 
state until his twenty-eight year, when his 
marriage took place in 1825. For about 
four years he and his wife remained in 
Pennsylvania and then removed to Stark 
county, Ohio, where Jacob bought about 
forty acres of land, mi which they lived ful- 
some time, until the discovery was made 
that the title was worthless and thev were 
forced to give up the place. This, needless 
to say, was a great loss to them. They then 
lived in different parts of Stark county for 
sometime afterwards, but did not purchase 
any land and. finally, in the early fall of 
1842 they set out overland in wagons for 
Illinois. The trip covered four weeks and in 
October they landed in Richland county. Illi- 
nois. Jacob Beck found himself there with 
a wife and one boy. John, aged one and a half 
years, one dollar and twenty-five cents 
in money, an old blind mare and a one-horse 
26 



wagon, in which they had journeyed from 
Ohio. (For further information on John 
Beck's parents, see biography of Daniel Beck. 
of Claremont township, in another part of 
this volume.) 

John Heck made his home with his parents 
until his mother's death in April. 1872. Our 
subject for some time afterwards lived with 
his father. During this time he had acquired 
a half interest with his brother Henrv in 
forty acres of timber land in German town- 
ship. Some time later he sold this half inter- 
est to William Miller for three hundred and 
fifty dollars, with which he acquired a saw- 
mill. He later sold the mill to J. J. Goss. On 
the 8th of October. 1874, he married Eliza- 
beth Sager. who was born on the 17th of 
March, 1855, in Northampton county. Penn- 
sylvania. She was the daughter of Reu- 
ben and Elizabeth (Snider) Sager, also na- 
tives of Pennsylvania. Mrs. Beck's mother 
died when she was but four years old and 
she went to live with an elder sister. When 
about nine years old she came with her father 
from Pennsylvania to Richland county, Illi- 
nois, in the fall of 1864. She and her father 
remained with a brother. Peter Sager, senior, 
until his marriage to Leah Crumb, the widow 
of Isaac Crumb. Our subject's wife then 
remained with a cousin, Daniel Sager. for 
about three years and then worked for neigh- 
bors. She continued in occupations of this 
kind until her marriage. Her father after- 
wards died and is buried in Goss cemetery in 
German township: his age at the time of his 
decease was fifty-six. Mrs. Beck was a 
member of a family of eleven children, nine 



I"- 



B KVI'llli VI. AND REMINISCENT lIISTouv OF 



of whom grew up and six are now living. 
Upon his marriage, John Beck and his wife 
rented a farm in Crawford county in the 
year 18751 and on account of unfavorable cir- 
cumstances nin ived that same fall to Rich- 
land county. It was at this tune that he 
traded for the saw-mill referred to before. 
tie then moved into Decker township and 
later boughl twenty acres in Preston town- 
ship which he afterwards sold and returned 
once Hi' ire n 1 < ierman township. In January 

if [882 he moved to his present farm winch 
then consisted of forty acres. Since that 
tune he has built the house and barn now 
standing and otherwise changed the face of 
the land and brought it to its present ad- 
mirable state ' if cultivation. 

John Keck was the sixth of ten children 
born to his parents, seven if whom grew to 
maturity. Ills father died in April of [881, 
aged eighty-four years, and was buried in 
Goss cemetery. John was not able to obtain 
an extended education in his young days. 
I low ever, he attended the subscription school 
and went for several terms to the free school 
in Richland county, learning to read, write 
and spei], also obtaining a knowledge of 
arithmetic. To John Keck and wife six 
children were born ; three girls and two boys 
grew up; one child died in infancy. In regu- 
lar order the) were: Dorothy Viola is the 
wife of George \\ Gerber, a carpenter of 
Claremont township; Sidney Paul married 

Maggie 1 '.\ 1 d and resides 1 m a farm in Shelby 
county; Bertha May is the wife of I'.. W. 
1 raig, a farm< r of < ierman township ; ( ilara 

Agatha and Frederick Stephen are both sin 



gle and live with their parents on the farm. 
All are fairly pr ispen 'its. 

In politics the subject of this sketch is a 

Democrat and has for the greater pari of his 

life taken an interest in local politics. lie 
has liecn f( >r six years (A immissii mcr of II igh- 
ways in (ierman township, and School Di- 
rector for the long period of twenty-one 
years. Active as he has been in the pub- 
lic life of his community, he has never 
aspired for a political office of any kind. 
Me and his wife and family are all 
members of the the St. James Lutheran 
church in Claremont township. lie is 
himself one of the original founders and 
builders of that church. lie has served as 
church treasurer for about twenty years, as 
a deacon for several terms, and as a teacher 
of the Sunday school class for the past thir- 
ty-five years, and is now an elder. It is need- 
less to say he has ever been active 111 all 
things pertaining t 1 his church. In the t< »wn- 
ship in which he has lived the best part of 
his life he is favorably looked upon as an- 
uprighl and honest man and as an industrious 
farmer whose success is well deserved. 



REV. WILLIAM JACKSON SIMER. 

This sterling and honored citizen of 
Omega township, Marion county, is the 
owner of one of the besl farms in this com- 
munity and is ;i local minister of the Gospel 
of much popularity, having for many years 
performed a grand service among the people 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



403 



whom he has elected to serve, burying the 
friends who pass over the mystic river, mar- 
rying the young, beginning life's more seri- 
ous walks, and in many ways assisting in 
ameliorating the condition of the public at 
large and his character has from his youth 
up been unblemished by shadow of wrong, 
so that the community regards him as one 
of its most valuable citizens. 

William Jackson Simer is a native of 
Marion county, having been born here Sep- 
tember 9, 1849, and is therefore fifty-nine 
years old at this writing (1908). His 
father's name was Jason R. Simer, a Ten- 
nesseean, who came to Illinois when fifteen 
years of age and worked by the month until 
he was married at the age of twenty-five 
years to Amelia Gaston, who was born near 
the Marion County Home and who was 
called to her rest in 1866, at the age of 
forty years. Jason R. Simer married a sec- 
ond time to Ruth Carpenter in the year 
1870. Seven children were born to him by 
his first wife, our subject being one of the 
number; and three children were born of 
the second union. 

Our subject worked out among the neigh- 
bors until he was seventeen years of age, 
having attended the local schools in Jef- 
ferson county, later the Huff school, in the 
meantime during the winter months, and 
received a good foundation for an education 
by diligently applying himself to his studies, 
and he has now become a well read man by 
constant home study and personal observa- 
tion. When twenty-five years old he be- 
gan to make public addresses on local po- 
litical issues and so well did he speak that 



when his name was announced to appear on 
a program he was always insured a large 
and interested audience, and his powers as 
an orator and his ability as a political 
worker were soon recognized by party lead- 
ers and he was invited to speak in other 
communities. 

Our subject has always been more or less 
interested in farming pursuits and he early 
in life gave marked evidence of being a man 
of affairs, and he began to work for him- 
self when seventeen years old. He now 
owns a fine farm of two hundred and three 
acres, forty acres being in timber, the rest 
being under a high state of cultivation. 

Rev. Mr. Simer has always been an ac- 
tive church worker and Sunday school 
worker, especially so since 1880, and he is 
now filling the pulpit each Lord's day at 
Lovel Grove, Smith's Grove, Bethel in Clay 
county, and at Brubaker, giving a fourth of 
his time to each charge, all of which he has 
built up and greatly strengthened. 

Our subject has been twice married, his 
first wife's name being Sarah E. Easley, 
to whom seven children were born, four of 
whom are living, the family being com- 
posed of six sons and one daughter. His 
second wife was Mary Alice Farson, to 
whom two children were born, both living. 
Their names are Clay and Frank. The 
names of his children by his first wife fol- 
low : The first child died in early infancy; 
Leroy, who married Goldin Allen, and who 
had three children, two living, a son and a 
daughter ; Hershel, who married Jennie 
Tate and who has four children, two sons 
and two daughters; Charley, who married 



4°4 



B RAPHICAL AND REMINISCEN1 HISTORY OF 



A ma Hultz; Hugh, who married Minnie 
Jennings, and who has one sen; Margaretta 
and Rollie. 

Mr. Simer takes a great interest in public 
affairs and is serving his third term as Su- 
pervisor of Omega township in a manner 
that reflects much credit upon His ability and 
to the entire satisfaction of all concerned. 
He is greatly interested in the cause of edu- 
cation, and he has taught six successful 
terms of school in his own neighborhood, 
gaining considerable praise as an able in- 
structor and his services were in great de- 
mand. He is a very versatile man on almost 
any topic and he is ever ready for any good 
\\ i irk. He has a large, well arranged and 
carefully selected library, consisting of the 
best books of modem and early days on a 
\\ ide range of themes among which much of 
his time is spent. He has always been a 
close student of the Bible, having an ardent 
desire to know and comprehend the same, 
being anxious to know and do the will of 
the Heavenly Father, and to follow His 
teachings at all times. In matters affecting 
the general welfare Rev. Simer has been 
'most active and influential. 



JACOli EVER. 

The well known farmer. Jacob Eyer, of 
German township, Richland county, [llinois, 
is the son of one of this county's earliesl set- 
He was bom on May 10. [829, near 
Rhinebier, Germany, on a (arm. At the 



age of six years he was brought by his pai 
ents to the United States, crossing the broad 
Atlantic is a sail-boat which served to carry 
both passengers and freight. His father 
broughl a large amount of property with him 
including a wagon made in Germany. The 
voyage lasted six weeks and encountered the 
usual experience of the travelers in early 
days. They lauded in Xew York harbor in 
the spring of [837, and came to Ohio, where, 
in Stark county, the Eyers settled upon fort) 
acres. Father Eyer built a log house, hut 
sold the place two years after, the family 
then starting in wagons overland for Illinois. 
several other families accompanying them. 
They forded the Wabash river at Palestine, 
and the Eyer family settled in what is now 
German township. Richland county. Pre- 
viously Jacob Eyer's father had entered Il- 
linois and entered the one hundred and 
twenty acres of timber land they settled on. 
In those early days Richland county went by 
its old title of Lawrence county. For the 
land the elder Ever had paid the government 
price of one dollar and twenty-five cents an 
acre and also one hundred dollars to a man 
named King, who held a squatter's claim on 
the place. This sale was negotiated before 
the family migration to Illinois took place. 
The family settled in German township in 
the fall of [839, two years before Richland 
o iunty was laid 1 mt, the members of the fam- 
ily moving into the lob cabin \ acated by King 
and started to improve the land. A large 
log house was built, the timber was cleared. 
and the place was put into a good state ol 
cultivation. Our subject's father died in 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



405 



1850, having passed the age of fifty years, 
his mother surviving for many years, died 
in 1891. aged ninety-one. Both are buried 
in the old Lutheran church cemetery in Ol- 
ney township. The elder Ever reared eight 
children, of whom Jacob was the third in 
order of birth. 

Jacob Ever remained with his parents un- 
til his twenty-first year, when he hired out 
<luring the summer and in winter time made 
his home on the farm with his mother. On 
the 3d of April, 1855. he married Catherine 
Eyer, who was born in the same part of Ger- 
many as the subject, on the 26th of Septem- 
ber, 183 1, the daughter of Jacob and Mar- 
garet Eyer. both of whom lived and died in 
Germany. Catherine Eyer came to this 
country at the age of twenty-three and land- 
ed at Xew Orleans. She ascended the Mis- 
sissippi river to Evansville, Indiana, going 
thence to Richland county. Illinois. About 
one year afterwards she married the subject 
of our sketch. She was the younger of two 
children born to her parents. After their 
marriage Jacob Eyer and his wife remained 
at the family home with the former's 
mother for six months. About this time 
he built a log house upon forty acres he 
had previously entered, paying the price of 
one dollar and twenty-five cents an acre. 
They settled on the place and for seven 
years worked hard ; then they became able 
to buy more land in the township and built 
the large frame house they now live in. 
Since that period much land has been ac- 
quired and Jacob Eyer now is the owner of 
two hundred and forty acres of fine farm 



land, all of which is in German township, 
well improved, all but ten acres of the farm 
being under a high state of cultivation. 

Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Eyer are the parents 
of nine children, of whom three died in 
childhood; the living members of their fam- 
ily are; John is single and remains at home 
with his parents. Phillip, who is also 
single, has interested himself in drilling 
wells and resides in the state of Washing- 
ton. Joseph married Vatie Scherer, and re- 
sides in Dwight, Illinois, engaged in the 
hardware business. He has four children. 
Lizzie is the wife of John Metzger. a sales- 
man for a Chicago wholesale drug house. 
They are the parents of two children and 
reside in Hewe. Illinois. Christian, Rena, 
George, Frederick and Daniel are deceased. 

Jacob Eyer attended about three terms 
of subscription school. In his school days 
teachers were hired for terms of three 
months and were paid at the rate of eight 
dollars per month. He learned to read and 
write English, and also spell. The schools 
were of the usual primitive character of 
such institutions in the Middle West in 
those days. His education was limited as 
there was necessaiy work to be done on the 
family farmstead. He had two younger 
brothers, John and Phillip, who served 
through the Civil war. Both joined the 
Sixtieth Illinois Regiment under the com- 
mand of Captain Coconaur. John came 
home from the conflict on sick furlough 
and died soon after. Phillip died in St. 
Louis, Missouri, and is buried there. 

In politics Jacob Eyer is a Democrat, for- 



(1 >' . 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



merly taking quite an active interest in 
township and county affairs. He has served 
as school director for many years, and has 
been a Road Overseer. lie helped the 
cause of education bj generously giving the 

district the land, and by helping to build 

the brick 9Chool-house which now stands on 
his farm in German township. Ik- worked 
for two years helping to survey and build 
the Ohio & Mississippi Railroad, new the 
Baltimore & Ohio, which was finished in 
[855. It went at that time as far west as 
St. Louis. Our subject and his wife and 
family are all members of the St. James 
Lutheran church in < lareniont township. 
He was for many years an elder of the 
church. He is also known as one of the 
fust organizers and a builder of the old log 
church erected in Olney township. He and 
his wife and family arc very active in 
church circles. 



S \ Ml T.I. G. ('< IPPLE. 

Mr. ( opple is one of the leading business 
men in Omega township, Marion county, 
having successfully managed a store and 
carried on other lines of business in a man- 
ner that shows him to be a man of unusual 
business ability, but having the honored an- 
cestry behind him of which he can boast, 
we do not wonder that he is a man of rare 
acter, tor in the genealogical 
histor) ni both the paternal and maternal 
lines, there is much data signally germane 
to a compilation , if tin. 51 ,rt. 



Samuel G. Copple was born in Washing- 
ton county, Indiana, April 24. 1849. the 
son of Abraham and Rozan (Hanger) Cop- 
ple, the former having been born in Indiana 
April 2, 1827, and was the father of nine 
children, seven girls and two boys, three of 
whom lived to maturity, the subject of this 
sketch l>eing the oldest in order of birth. 
Abraham Copple left Indiana in 1875, and 
came to Marion county, Illinois, where he 
farmed on a parcel of land which he pur- 
chased, and also rented additional land. He 
was called from his earthly labors in Omega, 
this county, February 17, 1892. He mar- 
ried Rosannah Hauger September 21, 1847, 
and they first moved to Sullivan county. In- 
diana, then to Marion county, Illinois, 
where Abraham lived for over thirteen 
years. His three surviving children are: 
Samuel G, our subject; Alice M., and Ma- 
hala M.. who is now deceased. 

The early education of the subject of this 
sketch was gained in the district schools of 
his native county, which were taught from 
two to three months each year during the 
winter, in log school-houses, the wind' iws 
of which were made of greased paper for 
panes. He was compelled to walk four 
miles to school. During the remainder of 
the year he worked on his father's, farm. 
When he had reached maturity he married 
Mary C. Sill, the daughter of Commodore 
and Sarah 1 Heard 1 Sill, of Jackson county, 
Illinois, and she, too, received her education 
in the district schools of the country which 
she attended three months out of the year. 
Sarah Beard was born in Tennessee. No- 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



407 



vember 6, 1820. and died at the home of 
her daughter, Mary C. at the advanced age 
of eighty-eight years. Commodore Sill was 
born in 1822 and lived to be past fifty. 
They were the parents of nine children, five 
boys and four girls, of whom four are now 
living, namely: Marguerite J. Sellers, whose 
home is in Sandoval. Marion county; Ace- 
nith A. Walker, of Jackson county, this 
state; Ransom M. Sill, living at Blue 
Mound. Marion county: Man* C. Copple, 
living at Omega, this county; Alice Sill 
lives in Blue Mound, also : Mahala Solomon 
died and was buried in Texas. The father 
of the subject's wife was born in Pennsyl- 
vania, from which state he moved to Indi- 
ana, then to Illinois, where he bought a 
farm in Marion county. 

Our subject and wife have only one child, 
a son, named Charles E., who is married to 
Etta Kline : they have one son. 

Mr. Copple is the owner of sixty acres 
of good land, which is highly improved and 
lies in and near Omega. It is a valuable 
and most desirable farm. He has been in 
the general merchandise business for over 
twenty years at Omega, and he has built up 
an excellent trade on general lines, handling 
a fine quality of goods and giving his nu- 
merous customers the best goods possible 
for the money, so that he seldom loses a 
customer, all of whom he treats with uni- 
form courtesy. His store is a credit to the 
community and would be conspicuous in a 
much larger place. He also manages in a 
most successful manner the hotel at Omega, 
which has become known to the traveling 
public as a comfortable place for transients. 



where generous treatment is always accord- 
ed the friend or stranger alike. Our sub- 
ject also conducts an up-to-date feed barn, 
and manages a telephone line, and he is re- 
garded by everyone as an enterprising and 
accommodating gentleman. Although these 
various lines of business occupy most of 
his time, he does not neglect his duty to his 
county or state, but his support can always 
be depended on in the promotion of good 
government and honesty in politics. Re- 
ligiously his parents were members of the 
Christian church and he has followed in 
their footsteps. Mrs. Copple is a member of 
the same, as was her mother. Mr. and Mrs. 
Copple set a worthy example in all religious 
and mortal matters before their children and 
the community where they live. 



CATHERINE BOATMAN'. 

The part women played in assisting the 
early settlers can not lie underestimated. By 
nature not as robust physically as their male 
companions, hardships and privations leaned 
more heavily upon them, but the w mien of 
that day who came with their husband- and 
families into the loneliness of what was then 
the wilderness were equal to the occasion. 
They helped to dispel the gloom, the sense of 
h< pelessness which occasionally fell up m the 
settlers in their relentless labor. 

A woman of such caliber was the subject 
of our present sketch, the hardships and ad- 
ventures of whose early career would prove 
material for a volume. 



,,,s 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



Catherine Boatman {nee Hanes,) of Ger- 
man township, Richland county, Illinois, was 
born September 9, [827, in York county, 
Pennsylvania, the daughter of Daniel and 
Susanna 1 Phillips) 1 lanes. Her grandmoth- 
er Phillips being the daughter of Eva Eliza- 
beth Reame and John Phillips, died at the 
age of eighty-seven years. They were all na- 
tives of Pennsylvania. Catherine Boatman's 
mother was hum in York county, Pennsy] 
vania, and her father in Philadelphia. Her 
father remained in Philadelphia until seven- 
teen years of age with his parents; lie then 
went out un a farm and also taught school un- 
til his marriage to Susanna Phillips, which 
was solemnized on August [3, [822, in Lit- 
tle Rock church, York county, Pennsylvania. 
They farmed in that state until 1830. when 
they decided t < ► move t<> Stark county, Ohio. 
Catherine, the subject of our sketch, being 
then three years old. Some time after they 
again moved to Portage county, Ohio, re- 
maining there three years, when they re- 
turned tu Stark county, which was their abid- 
ing place for nine years. Then the) decided 
t" migrate n> Illinois. Together with Uncle 
Peter Sager, his wife and three children: 
grandfather John Phillips and his wife: Ja- 
Ci '1 1 Beck, his wife and family ; and their own 
children, three families in all. consisting of 
twenty-two people, they started (in October 
[8, 1842, mi an eventful overland journe) 
fraught with much danger and hardship. 
They arrived in Richland county, Illinois, 
i'ii November 18, [842, a month later, after 
encountering a snow-storm and man) of the 
cu-t unary hardships. A- an instance of en- 
durance mi the part of the subject of this 



sketch, it is recorded that she walked almost 
the entire way from < )hii> with the exception 
of about fifty mile-. ( >f the twenty-two par- 
ticipants of that journey, hut four survive. 
They are Mrs. Sallie Goss, Mr-. Cassie Goss, 
Mi-- Susan Peek and John Beck. 

When Catherine Boatman first landed in 
Richland count)-, her family first lived with 
I'ncle Dave Phillips for a time, after which 
they moved to what was known as the Tegue 
farm, where they lived one year, at the end 
of which her father entered forty acres in 
section 21, German township, paying one 
dollar and twenty-five cents an acre. The 
farm at the time of his purchase was all tim- 
ber. I le first made a small clearing mi which 
he built a hewn log cabin which still 
stands, and into which he moved his 
family. During- their first winter there 
the necessary cooking operations were per- 
formed in the stump of a huge tree, which 
stood close by the door of the cabin. 

Daniel Hanes continued ti> clear his land 
and tn SOW and plant wheal and corn a- fa-t 
as he could get the soil in condition. In the 
c uirse 1 if time he built a frame additii in U 1 the 
the log house, in which abode they lived tin- 

* 

til their death. Catherine's mother died April 
2 1 . 1864, aged sixt) five I lei father sur- 
vived about four years, dying August o. 
[868, at age of seventy. Both are buried in 
(n>-- graveyard, where grandfather Phillips 
1- also laid. 1 >aniel 1 lane's parents both died 
in Portage county, Ohio, lie had three chil- 
dren: John, who died at the age if eighty 
two; < lassie, win 1 died at the age ' if seventy- 
nine, and Catherine, who was the youngest. 
lie also took charge of and raised his broth- 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



409 



er's son, George Hanes by name, who is now 
dead. 

Catherine remained on the farm with her 
parents until her marriage to John Boatman. 
on November 11, 1847, in Richland county. 
Her husband was born in Columbiana county, 
Ohio, July 1 J, 1817, the son of Henry and 
Elizabeth (Goss) Boatman, natives of Penn- 
sylvania. His grandfather Boatman was a 
native of France and died at the advanced 
age of one hundred and three years, his 
grandfather Goss also died at the ripe old 
age of ninety-six. John Boatman's parents 
were married in Columbiana county, Ohio, 
having both come there with their parents 
from Pennsylvania. He came to Richland 
county from Akron, Ohio, with his brother 
George, the pair walking every step of the 
way with a package of clothes on their backs 
and a gun on each one's shoulder. After en- 
countering adventures and privations on the 
way they arrived in Richland count)- in 
April, 1847. George Boatman bought land 
on which he settled and on which he died in 
1884. John bought forty acres from Jacob 
May in German township, for which he paid 
him one hundred and twenty-five dollars. It 
was timbered land and he set to work and 
cleared, cultivated, and built a house upon it. 
He later annexed some forty acres of ad- 
joining land and at the time of his death 
owned a well cultivated property of eight v 
acres in area. He died September 13, 1896 
aged seventy-nine years, two months and 
one day. His parents, subsequent to his ar- 
rival in Illinois, moved to the state where 
they remained a year, thence moving to Mich- 



igan where they died. Catherine Boatman 
and her husband had thirteen children born 
to them, one of whom died in infancy. There 
were seven boys and six girls. In regular or- 
der the} - were : Mary, wife of Stephen D. 
Best, is a widow and lives at home with 
her mother: Elizabeth is the wife of Jacob 
Scherer. of Preston township ; David mar- 
ried Delithe English and lives in South 
Bend, Indiana: Lydia, the wife of Louis 
Schulte, lives in Claremont township ; Susie 
is the wife of Joseph Wilson, of Preston 
township; Simon, who is single, lives on the 
homestead; Isaac lives in German township 
and is married to Emma Fritz ; Maggie is the 
wife of James Henby, of Preston town- 
ship: William P. married Mellie Peet. and 
they live in South Bend. Indiana; Stephen 
married Rella Krieg and lives at South 
Whitley. Indiana; John lives at home. He 
married Julia Wachtel, deceased; Milton is 
married to Lucy Sager and lives at home; 
they have one child, Elsie Catherine Boat- 
man. Catherine Boatman died February 1, 
1909, aged eighty-one years, four months and 
twenty-two days. Mrs. Boatman was buried 
February 3, 1909, and the funeral sermon 
was preached by her nephew. Rev. Isaiah 
Boatman, of Eaton Rapids, Michigan. 
She reared twelve children, all of whom 
are still living. She had thirty-three grand- 
children and twenty-five great-grandchil- 
dren : the eldest grandchild, David I. Scher- 
er. being thirty-seven years old and the 
youngest, Elsie Catherine Boatman, was 
born July 21. 1908. 

Catherine Boatman went to the subscrip- 



4»o 



B RAPHICAL Wit REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



ti( 'ii S( hi ii lis in * 'lii' ■ in liur \ i 'im.s; davs, w here 
she did not go very high. She learned to 
read, write and spell, that being the extent of 
lier education. She could not find tune to 
be a regular attendant. She and her family 
were am mg the earliest settlers in Richland 
county. She could well lay claim to being its 
"grand old woman." In her early days the 
countrj possessed is quota of wild and fero- 
cious animals, and the picturesque figure of 
the Indian had not faded from the vicinity. 

Always a strictly religii us wi iman, she was 
a member of the Lutheran church since she 
was sixteen years if age, having been one of 
the first to enter the St. James Lutheran 
church in Claremont township. Her com- 
munion class which numbered twenty-two 
communed in the old log church many, 
many years ago. Iler companions of the 
class are ni w all dead with the exception of 
two: Michael Eyer and Chris. B. Balmer. 

I- ir years Catherine Boatman's home life 
was happy, quiet and peaceful — a fitting close 
to a useful life, Her name is a household 
wi ird in Richland o iunty, w ith w In ise histi iry 
it has been closely entwined from the earliest 
years. 



II. S. McBRIDF. 



In enlisting men of enterprise and integ- 
rity in furthering its general business ac- 
tivities, i- mainly due the precedence and 
prosperity enjoyed by Marion county, and 
the firm of which the gentleman whose 
name initiate- this paragraph is a member, 



is recognized as one of the representative 
druggists of the county, being engaged in 
business in Centralia and enjoying an ex- 
tensive wholesale and retail trade. 

II. S. McBride was born in Decatur, Il- 
linois. September 5, 1869, the son of Dr. 
Alexander and Mary E. (Jones) McBride, 
the father of the subject having been born 
in Ross county, Ohio. June 21, 1821. His 
wife was born in L'rbana, Ohio, April 18, 
1835, and they were married in the Buckeye 
-t.tte and came to Illinois in 1866, locating 
in Decatur. They became the parents of 
three children, two of whom are living, H. 
S., our subject, and Frank A., who was 
born in 1875 in Decatur. 

The subject of this sketch began bis edu- 
cation at Decatur, where he attended school 
f> >r two years. He was then sent to Car- 
thage, Missouri, remaining in school there 
until 1887, where he made an excellent rec- 
ord, and after completing his education, he 
returned to Decatur and worked as a drug 
clerk for one year in the employ of A. J. 
Stoner. He then went to St. Louis and 
worked for the P. G. Alexander Drug Com- 
pany for two years and while there took a 
course in pharmacy in the St. Louis School 
of Pharmacy. From there he went to Webb 
City, Missouri, to work for the McClelland 
Drug Company in whose employ he re- 
mained for about two years, when he moved 
to Mattoon, Illinois, remaining there until 
1898, clerking for the Killner Drug Com- 
pany. He gave entire satisfaction in all 
these positions owing to the fact that he had 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



4' I 



an intimate knowledge of drugs and was 
courteous to customers. 

Our subject was one of the patriotic cit- 
izens of the great Sucker state, who felt it 
his duty to assist the cause of humanity 
when Cuba was being oppressed by the tyr- 
rany of Spain, and when the Spanish-Amer- 
ican war broke out he enlisted in Company 
A, Fourth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, un- 
der Capt. Joseph P. Barricklom and re- 
mained in service until the close of the war, 
having been mustered out of service at Au- 
gusta, Georgia. He served at Springfield, 
Illinois, as first sergeant and was promoted 
to second lieutenant at Camp Cuba Libre, 
Jacksonville, Florida, September, 1898. 

In 1900 Mr. McBride moved to Centralia 
and clerked for Will J. Blythe for two 
years, then for L. H. Reed for four years. 
He then opened the Red Cross Pharmacy 
at 204 East Broadway, an incorporated in- 
stitution under the state laws of Illinois, the 
company consisting of C. D. Tufts, presi- 
dent ; C. E. McMahon, vice-president: H. S. 
McBride, secretary and manager; F. Pullen, 
treasurer. The room occupied is twenty- 
four by one hundred feet. It is large, airy 
and commodious. A general wholesale and 
retail drug business is carried on among 
physicians and surgeons, covering a radius 
of forty miles. The house carries a large, 
complete and carefully selected stock, and 
the fixtures and equipment are modern, well 
arranged and up-to-date in every particular, 
and a very liberal trade is enjoyed. 

H. S. McBride was united in marriage 
with Ida A. Mattock on September 8, 1895. 



She war reared at Mattoon, Illinois, and is 
the daughter of W. D. and Temperance 
(Hackett) Mattock. Four interesting chil- 
dren constituted the Mattock family, three 
girls and one boy, Ida A, being the oldest. 
Mr. McBride is recognized as a first class 
pharmacist by all who have had occasion to 
investigate his work. He is registered in 
Illinois, Missouri and Florida, and he stands 
at the front of Centralia's business men. 
Fraternally he is a member of the Benevo- 
lent and Protective Order of Elks, No. 493, 
of Centralia. In politics he is a Democrat 
and follows the teachings of his parents in 
religious matters, affiliating with the Epis- 
copal church. 



SAMUEL H. GRAHAM. 

One of the substantial citizens of Marion 
county is the gentleman to a review of 
whose life work we now call the attention of 
the reader. Mr. Graham is a man who, 
while advancing his own interests does not 
lose sight of the fact that it is his duty to 
lend his influence in furthering the interests 
of his community. 

Samuel H. Graham was born in Marion 
county, Indiana, in 1855. the son of John 
and Sarah Elizabeth (Oldham) Graham. 
Grandfather Graham was born in Penn- 
sylvania. He came to Butler county, Ohio, 
and then to Rush county, Indiana, where 
he died, after a busy and useful life as a 
farmer. He had a large family. Grand- 



4 '-' 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



father Oldham was an early settler in 
Marion county, Indiana, where he had a 
farm of one hundred and twenty acres. He 
also raised a large family, some of his sons 
becoming soldiers in various Indiana regi- 
ments. The father of the subject was born 
in Butler county, Ohio, and moved to Rush 
county, Indiana, when ten years of age, 
having been reared to manhood in that 
county. He then went to Fayette county, 
rented a farm and later moved to Marion 
county. Indiana, where he bought eighty 
acres on which he lived for three years, and 
it was while living there that our subject 
was born. He then sold this farm and 
moved tn Franklin county, Indiana, where 
he lived for twenty years and thai came to 
Clay ci unity. Illinois, where he bought a 
farm on which he spent the balance of his 
life, dying April i, 1888, at the age of sixty- 
four years, his wife having preceded him 
to the narrow house on August 9, 1881. 
while on a visit in Indiana. She was fifty- 
two years old. Fourteen children were 
born to tlii- family, six boys and eight girl-, 
eleven of them reaching maturity. The 
subject's father affiliated with the Baptist 
church and his mother was a Methodist. 
John Graham was a Democrat, and was 
School Director, and always supported the 
11 ik. 

Samuel H. Graham, our subject, attended 

the public schools in Indiana, remaining in 
the common schools until he was twenty 
years old, attending high school at II.n 
ville, and later the University at Valparaiso. 
lie applied himself diligently and became 



a well educated man and commenced teach- 
ing on June 7, 1876, which he continued 
for twenty-five years and in all these years 
he never taught in more than eight different 
districts. However, his sen-ices were much 
sought after, his reputation as an able in- 
structor having been widely known. After 
his career as a teacher. Mr. Graham for a 
short time engaged in agricultural business 
in Fayette county, Indiana, but moved to 
Clay county. Illinois, when yet a single man 
and resided with his father up to the time 
of his death in 1888. then moved to Marion 
county. Illinois, in 1890. He had been living 
in Clay county, this state, since 1881, and 
then came onto the farm which he had pre- 
viously bought and where he has since re- 
sided, his present highly improved farm 
consisting of ninety-nine acres. He was 
administrator on his father's estate in Clay 
county. Our subject carries on farming of 
a general nature and handles some good 
stock. 

( lur subject was united in marriage on 
May II, 1890, with Eunice 1\. Wilkinson, 
a native of Iowa, and the daughter of Ste- 
phen and Lois i.Maak) Wilkinson, natives 
of Ohio, who moved to Iowa, ami then hack 
to Ohio, later to Indiana ami then to Nan 
\\ lit. ( >hio. Mrs. Wilkinson died in Ham- 
ilton county. Ohio, and Mr. Wilkinson at 
Van Wert. There were fifteen children in 
this family, seven of them living to 
maturity. 

Five children have been born to Mr. and 
Mrs. Graham as follows: Elsie Floy, born 
in [891, and died the following July: Wal- 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



413 



ter T., who was born in 1892, is living at 
home with his parents; Earl, who was born 
in 1894, is also a member of the family 
circle; Harold was bom in 1897; Roy Syl- 
vester was born in 1901. 

Mr. Graham in his farternal relations is 
a member of the Woodmen and the Royal 
Neighbors. He has been Auditor, serving 
with much credit to himself and to the sat- 
isfaction of all concerned. In politics he 
is a Democrat and has been County Chair- 
man of the Board since April, 1908; also 
has been Supervisor of his township and 
has been Town Clerk for eight or nine 
years ; also Town Collector, School Direc- 
tor for fifteen years. He still holds the po- 
sitions of the Chairman of the Board and 
School Director and Supervisor. He was a 
Justice of the Peace for four years, and a 
delegate to the state ; judicial and county 
conventions. He is also a member of the 
Board of Review of the county. In religion 
our subject subscribes to the Baptist faith, 
while his wife affiliates with the Methodists. 



IOSEPH KOCHER. 



Mr. Kocher. of German township. Rich- 
land county, is an industrious farmer who 
owes his birth and kindred to the romantic 
county in Europe through which the river 
Rhine flows. He is German by birth and 
descent. By adoption he is an American cit- 
izen, sturdy and industrious, whose life of 
fiirty-three years in Richland county has \vi in 



him the respect and friendship of his neigh- 
bors. He was born on the 1 7th of April. 1836, 
near Strasburg, Germany, and was the son of 
Martin and Catherine (Orrick) Kocher. 
Martin Kocher worked in Germany as a 
blacksmith and married Catherine Orrick 
sometime about the year 183 1. They, with 
their family, left their native Germany on the 
2d of November, 1852, and sailed for the 
United States, landing at New Orleans on 
the 3d of March, 1853, after a voyage across 
the ocean of seventy-five days' duration, dur- 
ing which they encountered all the privatins 
which ocean traveling at that time engen- 
dered. From New Orleans they took a 
steamer up the Mississippi and Ohio rivers 
to Cincinnati. From there they went through 
Akron and settled in Summit county, Ohio, 
where our subject's father and brothers 
worked in the coal mines. 

On May 31, 1859, in Stark county. Ohio. 
Joseph Kocher married Elizabeth W'eiler, 
the daughter of Matthew and Teresa (Getz) 
W'eiler. Mrs. Kocher was born in the count} 
in which she was married on the 28th of July, 
1840. Her parents, natives of German} - , 
died when she was but fourteen years old. 
They were buried in Canton, Ohio. Our 
subject's wife lived with an elder sister until 
her marriage. 

Joseph Kocher had bought twenty acres 
previous to his marriage and afterwards 
bought eleven acres more upon which was a 
log house and into which he and his wife 
moved and lived for six years. During this 
time he farmed this place in Ohio and also 
worked in the coal mines. In March, 1865, 



414 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



they moved to [llinois, coming by railroad, 
This was jusl three weeks before the fatal 
tragedy which ended the life of Abraham 
Lincoln. Qur subject having sold his place 
in Ohio, he purchased eighty acre- of timber 
land in German t iwnship, Richland county, 
and paid seventeen dollars an acre for the 
same. A rude, small log shanty stood upon 
the land which he changed without outside 
help mto the substantial structure in which 
he and his wife now live, lie built barns 
and cleared and cultivated the land. In 
after years he added to the property, 
and today he owns one hundred and 
twenty acres in one of the best districts 
of German township, all of which, with 
the exception of about fifteen acres, is 
under cultivation. Five or six years after 
[bseph Kocher's arrival in Illinois his lather 
and mother also moved to Richland county. 
and bought ninety acres of goi d land in the 
same township, and upon which the\ after- 
wards died. Ills mi .ther died in [883, hav- 
ing passed her eighty-third year: his fathei 
died in May. 1892, aged eighty-two years 
and ten months. Both were buried in old 
St. |bseph's cemeterj in German township, 
situated on Ginder farm. Our subject was 
the second child barn to his parents, who 
had six children in all. one of whom died in 
1 lermany. 

[oseph Kocher and his wife experienced 
many hardships and privations in then early 
days in Richland county, dame and wild 
.animals were very much in evidence, par- 
ticularly wolves and hears. In early times 
the prairie-grass grew to the height of ten 



or fifteen feet. To get started in Richland 
o unty he worked hard on the farm and at 
times during the iirst winter worked in tin. 
coal mines , at Washington, Indiana, lie and 
his wife are the parents of eleven children. 
One died at tWO years of age and two more 
have died. In regular order the children 
were named: Andy, who married Catherine 
llahn. is deceased; William married Anna 
Rennier ; .Mary is .the wife of Leo Halm, and 
Catherine of Joseph llahu: Simon married 
Helen Kramer, of Indiana, (deceased) is 
now married to hriedrika Shuttie. Rosa 
Elizabeth is single and makes her home with 
her parents. Martin married Mary Doll and 
lives in the vicinity of Vincennes; Frances is 
deceased: Aloyese married Anna Shuttle- 
bauer, and Leo, who married Ida Rennier. 

In politics our subject is a Democrat of the 
Douglas pattern. He served six years as a 
school director and was elected for another 
term, hut would not serve. He has never 
sought office as he preferred to devote the 
greater part of his time to his agricultural 
interests. In his young days Joseph Kocher 
attended school in Germany until his four- 
teenth year .and was well equipped for life's 
batttle. Later he attended English school, 
hut his education in the English language 
was mostly gained through his own efforts. 
He and his wife, as well as their family, are 
members of St. Joseph's Catholic church 
in ( iennan township and have always been ac- 
tive in church work and duties. | R- held one 
term as trustee 1 if the church. 

Joseph Kocher's land has the reputation 
' f containing oil springs of value, and this 



RICHLAND. CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



415 



feature is sure to greatly enhance the value 
of the property and bring forth great re- 
turns in the future. 



WILLAM H. GRAY. 

An enumeration of the enterprising men 
of Marion county, Illinois, who have won 
recognition and success for themselves and 
at the same time have conferred honor upon 
the community would be incomplete were 
there failure to make mention of the popu- 
lar gentleman whose name initiates this re- 
view. He holds worthy prestige in business 
circles, and has always been distinctively a 
man of affairs and wields a wide influence 
among those with whom his lot has been 
cast, having won definite success and shown 
what a man with lofty principles, honesty 
of purpose and determination can win while 
yet young in years. In both banking and 
agricultural circles Mr. Gray stands in the 
front rank of the men who honor these 
callings in this county and because of his 
industry, integrity and courtesy he is a man 
to whom the future holds much of promise 
and reward. 

William Harvey Gray was born in 
Marion county, Illinois, in 1876, the son 
of James Robert and Nancy Illinois Gray 
< nee Boothe). James Harvey Gray, grand- 
father of our subject, was born in Maury 
county. Tennessee, and was brought to this 
county by his parents when four years of 
age. His father, lames Gray, was the son 



of William Gray, the great-great-grand- 
father of our subject. William Gray was 
born in North Carolina and moved to 
Maury county, Tennessee. He married a 
young lady by the name of McNabb in the 
year of 1776. Five sons were born to them, 
James, Joseph. William, John and Samuel. 
William Gray was a soldier in the American 
Revolution and was also in the Indian wars 
of Kentucky and Tennessee. He was a 
farmer by occupation. He had one brother 
by the name of James Gray. William Gray 
died when about the age of eighty-three. 

James Gray, great-grandfather of our 
subject, was born in Maury county, Ten- 
nessee, June 20, 1789. He married Martha 
Denton in the year 1808 and moved to 
Marion county, Illinois, in 1828, and settled 
the old homestead on section 10, being one 
of the first settlers of the county. They had 
four sons, Joseph, William Harrison, 
James Harvey and Isaac Denton. James 
Gray was called into the United States' ser- 
vice by the Governor's proclamation dated 
April 19, 1832. He enlisted as second lieu- 
tenant of Spy Battalion, First Brigade of 
the Illinois Mounted Volunteers. He had 
one horse shot from under him and was on 
furlough August II, 1832, and honorably 
discharged August i6th, having served un- 
der Capt. William N. Dobbins. He also 
served in the Creek and Indian war and the 
Black Hawk war. He was a powerful man 
physically, having measured six feet two 
inches and weighing two hundred ten 
pounds. He was the first Justice of the 
Peace in Kinmundy township, which office 



4 i6 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



he held until his death. He also sowed the 
first timoth) seed in this township in 1843. 
He and his brother Joseph furnished to 
the settlers the first sawed lumber, which 
thej sawed with a whipsaw. He also 
taught school in a cabin in the neighborhood. 
The early preachers of the Baptist and Cum- 
berland I'resbyterian denominations held 
meeting in his home. He died suddenly by 
an accidenl on October 3, 1835. leaving a 
widow and family of eight children. 

His widow, Martha Gray, entered eighty 
acres of land February 13, 1837, where 
they started their improvements. It was the 
west half of the southeast quarter of section 
10, Kinmundy township. The following 
fall she entered forty acres more in the 
same section. She was born in April, 1786, 
and departed this life May 27, 1844. 

James Harvey Gray, the grandfather of 
our subject, was born in Maury county, 
Tennessee, April 25, 1825, and as stated 
above came to this county when four years 
old. He began life's struggle at the age 
of ten by first making a crop for his mother. 
Full nf ambition, grit and energy he was 
successful from the start, though so young. 
At the age of eighteen, it may be said, he 
commenced life for himself, purchasing a 
yoke of cattle and a horse on credit. He 
remained, however, on the old place putting 
in crops until ready to invest in a piece of 
land, which he did at the age of twenty-six 
by making a purchase of one hundred and 
sixty acres, partly paying therefor with 
money borrowed. From that time his ca- 
reer was onward, lie rapidly accumulated 



property by his just and upright dealings, 
adding acre to acre until he could look over 
twelve hundred acres of land, all of which 
was in one body, and call it his own. He 
also had other valuable property. He was 
a man of powerful mental ability and men 
would go to him for advice and he was 
always glad to aid his fellow man. Mr. 
Gray at the age of nineteen years and 
seven months was married November 28, 
[844, to Susanna Jane Hanna, who was 
born October 18, 1824, and departed this 
life December 24, 1862. To this union 
five children were born. A second marriage 
was contracted with Margaret Lucinda 
Hanna in 1863. This lady, to whom three 
children were born, died in 1871. In the 
year of [872 Mr. Gray united in marriage 
with Mrs. Elizabeth Boothe, widow of Col. 
James \Y. Boothe, who * commanded the 
Fortieth Illinois Infantry during the Civil 
war. Before this he was first lieutenant in 
the Mexican war and was at the battle of 
Vera Cruz and Cerro Gordo. Mr. Gray did 
not enjoy the advantages of an education, 
being too early deprived of a father and 
compelled, being the eldest son at home, to 
care for the family. He was a natural 
mathematician and could calculate mentally 
the amount of anything almost instantly. 
He was six feet tall, stood erect and was 
well formed. His temperament was bilious, 
nervous and sanguine. He was fitted for the 
execution and power to endure both mental 
and physical labor. Mr. Gray was one of 
the original stockholders of the Farmers' 
and Merchants' Bank of Kinmundy. which 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



417 



was organized in January, 1870, soon after- 
wards became president, which position he 
held during his life. It was known as a 
co-partnership or private bank. The stock 
was held by himself, his widow and T. W. 
Haymond, cashier, at the time of his death. 
Mr. Haymond died shortly after Mr. Gray. 
The bank was closed by Mrs. Gray, the only 
surviving stockholder, through the suhject 
of our sketch. Mr. Gray was a man that 
enjoyed his home life and visitors were sure 
of receiving a warm welcome at his fire- 
side. He belonged to Kinmundy Lodge 
No. 398, Ancient Free and Accepted Ma- 
sons, also a member of Rosedale Lodge No. 
354, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. 
In his religious views he was a Cumberland 
Presbyterian. In politics, he was a Demo- 
crat of the old Jeffersonian school. He lived 
on the old homestead seventy-two years, 
outliving all of his children. He died at the 
age of seventy-six years and six months on 
October 25, 1901. 

Airs. Elizabeth Gray, widow of James H. 
Gray and grandmother of our subject, was 
born May 13, 1827, in Indiana, later corn- 
to Illinois in February, 1858, locating in 
Kinmundy. Daniel Clark, the father of 
Mrs. Gray and a blacksmith by trade, lived 
to be over seventy years old. Her mother 
lived to be about ninety-six years of age. 
Mrs. Gray was first married to James W. 
Boothe May 1, 1851. To this union five 
children were born. Mr. Boothe was born 
October 9, 1820, and died February 17, 
1863. Mrs. Gray married James H. Gray 
in 1872. At this writing Mrs. Gray is hale 
27 



and hearty and her mind is clear, quick and 
active. Since 1901 she has made two trips 
to the Pacific coast and is now past the 
eighty-first mile-stone in her journey 
through life. As time passes swiftly she 
pieces quilts and makes fancy pillows so as 
not to have any idle moments in her life. In 
her religious views she is a Cumberland 
Presbyterian and is a member of that 
church. 

James Robert Gray, father of our sub- 
ject, was born July 2, 1854, on the old 
homestead. He married Nancy Illinois 
Boothe August 19, 1875. Two sons were 
born to them, William Harvey, our subject, 
and James Lemon, who died when about 
six months old. James R. Gray departed 
this life September 8, 1880, after a use- 
ful and active career filled with good deeds. 

William Harvey Gray was born April 12, 
1876, as indicated in a preceding paragraph. 
He attended the district school near the old 
homestead, later attending the public 
school in Kinmundy, and from there to St. 
Louis, where he completed a thorough 
course in banking and general business in 
the Bryant and Stratton Business College. 
After graduating from this institution he 
went to Raymond, Illinois, and engaged in 
the general mercantile business for two 
years, when he sold out on account of his 
grandfather's death and the death of Mr. 
Haymond, returning to Kinmundy to set- 
tle up the business of the Farmers' and Mer- 
chants' Bank, of which, at that time as 
stated before, Mrs. Elizabeth Gray was the 
sole surviving partner. He settled up the 



|.i8 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT UlSToKV OF 



affair- of that institution, paying the de- 
positors in full in less than sixty days from 
the time the hank was closed mi December 
4, igot. He then was a main factor in or- 
ganizing The Haymond State Bank, becom- 
ing cashier of the same and holding that 
position until its consolidation with the 
hirst National Bank on August 15. 1906. 
During this time he assisted in the settling 
up of his grandfather's large estate. After 
the consolidation of the banks our subject 
resigned, taking the active management of 
his r t >al estate properties which were ex- 
tensive. He now owns two hundred and 
eightv acres of the old homestead property 
which has never left the control of the 
Gray family from the time the grandfather 
bought it. In all he owns one thousand 
acres of improved land, mostly prairie. He 
rents this out. reserving the control of the 
method of cultivation so that the soil may 
be kept in good productive condition. The 
fences are mostly of wire, the fields drain 
naturally and general farming is successfully 
carried on. Mr. Gray is one of the directors 
of the Kinmundy Building and Loan As- 
01 1. 11 ion. having been first elected in 1902, 
being elected treasurer in 1907 and presi- 
dent in [908. He was married on March 
moo. to Mrs. Winifred Grady (nee 
Shultz). of Olney, Illinois. She is the rep- 
resentative of a well known and influential 
family of that place. Mrs. Grady's father, 
irles Shultz, came to America from Ger- 
many when fourteen years of age, settling 
first in New York City, later coining to 
( ilncv. Illinois, where he now lives engaged 



in general merchandise business. Mr 
Shultz was married in Olney to Sarah Eliza- 
beth Gaddy and ten children were born to 
this union. Mrs. Gray, our subject's wife, 
being the seventh in order of birth. The 
commodious and well furnished home of 
Mr. and Mrs. Gray has been blessed with 
the presence of three bright and interesting 
children. Elizabeth. Anna Winifred and 
James Harvey. One singular, interesting 
and enjoyable feature in the life of our 
subject is that for fifteen years there were 
four generations living under one roof, and 
for the past eight years, and at the present 
time, there are four generations living. Our 
subject is the only one left to perpetuate 
the name of his grandfather, James H. 
Gray. He is a member of Kinmundy 
Lodge Xo. 398, Ancient Free and Accepted 
Masons; Salem Chapter No. 04. Royal 

Arch Masons; Cyrene Commander) No. 
23, Knights Templar. Centralia. Illinois; 
Oriental Consistory. S. P. R. S., and Me- 
dina Temple. Ancient Arabic Order Xobles 
of Mystic Shrine. Chicago. Illinois. He is 
a member of the Methodist Episcopal 
church, being a trustee in the same and was 
treasurer of the building committee when 
the new structure was erected ill 1005. In 
politics he is a Republican, and while he 
lias never aspired to positions of public 
trust at the hands of his fellow voters, in 
matters pertaining to the welfare of his 
township, county and state he is greatly 
interested and his efforts in behalf of the 
general progress has keen far-reaching and 
beneficial. Mr. Gray's name is associated 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



419 



with progress in the county of his birth 
and among those in whose midst he has 
always lived he is held in the highest es- 
teem by reason of an upright life and of 
fidelity to principles which in every land and 
clime command respect. 



REMINISCENT SKETCH OF RICH- 
LAND COUNTY. 

BY BRYANT HIGGINS. 

THE ORGANIZATION OF COMPANY D, EIGHTH 
ILLINOIS INFANTRY. 

These were the first soldiers to leave 
Richland county, for the Civil war : Com- 
pany D, was organized by Bryant Higgins 
and John Lynch. Fort Sumpter was stormed 
Friday, April 12. 1861. Higgins and Lynch 
sat up until midnight April 14, 1861. to get 
a copy of a little paper printed in St. Louis 
in the evening, to see if the President had 
issued his proclamation for troops. On 
getting the paper we went up Walnut street 
to a printing office managed by a deaf and 
dumb man, named Spurgeon. After knock- 
ing on the door and getting no response, 
we went around to the back of the office, 
pushed up a window and crawled in and 
struck a light, but finding the printer absent 
(it being Sunday night. April 14. 1861), 
we began trying to get into form, matter for 
handbills, with big wooden type. About that 
time the printer came in about 1 o'clock on 



Monday morning, April 15th. We showed 
him the paper, and it did not take him long 
to get the matter in form and ready for the 
press. Higgins worked the roller to ink 
the type and Lynch made a pot of paste. 
Lynch then wrote an enlistment paper and 
signed it. He was the first commissioned 
officer to enlist in this company ; then I 
signed it, being the first private soldier to 
enlist in the company, of which act I am ex- 
ceedingly proud. We went to the court- 
house and rang the bell, woke up Reuben 
Kinney, sexton of the Methodist Episcopal 
church, and he rang the church bell. We 
posted our bills and by that time the whole 
town was up and men, regardless of political 
affiliations, signed the paper. By this time 
it was after daylight, and Lynch and my- 
self started to the old Olney House for 
breakfast. We met Arch Spring, who 
signed the paper, being the sixty-third on 
the list in less than two hours. When we 
reached the hotel, William Harrah, of Vin- 
cennes, Indiana, who had just came in, said : 
"Boys, if you want to get your company in, 
line of you must go to Springfield at once, 
because when I came through Lawrence- 
ville 1 saw old Dan Grass (an old Mexican 
soldier) drilling a company with a lantern." 
In those days a train left here for St. Louis 
at 7 o'clock in the morning. Lynch took 
the train for Springfield and I kept on tak- 
ing enlistments. When Lynch reached St. 
Louis and changed cars for Springfield, a 
well dressed man with a silk hat and other 
clothes to correspond, took a seat beside him 
and the following conversation took place : 



4-'" 



lUoCKAI'IIH'AE AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



"Where are you going, young man?" 

"< ioing to Springfield." 

"What for?" 

"To tender the governor the services of 
a c impanj to help put down this rebellion. 

"That is about what I thought; now 
young man, go home and attend to your 
own business." 

Lynch being a very positive man, an- 
swered : 

'"Who the hell are you, anyway?" 

"Look out, there, young man; do you see 
that big warehouse across the river?" 

"Yes." 

"See that name, *D. A. January?'' 

"Yes." 

"See those two steamboats tied there?" 
l es. 

"Well, young man, that is my warehouse 
and those are my boats; now go home and 
mind your own business." 

"Now, look here, 1 will tell you some- 
thing," replied Lynch. "We will bring some 
cannon down here and just shoot hell out 
of you. your warehouse and your boats." 

By this time the train reached Alton and 
the man of the warehouse and boats left 
the train. Lynch went on to Springfield, 
reported to the governor, who was much 
pleaded with the patriotism of Richland 
county, Company I) being the first to ten- 
der its services as a company except an or- 
ganized company of militia in the city of 
Springfield. Lynch came back at once. In 
the meantime 1 had one hundred and twen- 
ty-three names on the roll. Then it became 
necessary to devise ways and means to get 



that many men to Springfield. There was a 
meeting called at once at the court-house, to 
provide means of transportation. In less 
than half an hour the money was raised. It 
took nearly one thousand dollars to pay the 
fare of one hundred and twenty-three men 
that Ear in those days. 

THE LEAVE TAKING. 

We marched from Elliott's hall to the 
depot, lined up for the people to bid ti 1 - 
good-bye. The whole county I think was 
there at J o'clock in the morning. Rev. John 
Crozier presented every man with a copy 
of the New Testament. Our best girls of 
course were there. I remember Jake Mush- 
rush, who was like myself at that time, about 
as long as a bean pole and about as big 
around. His girl was rather short. When 
she came to him she took hold of his hand 
in lxith of hers and said, "Good-bye Jake, 
good-bye, Jake, good-bye." Jake was look- 
ing over the top of her head; finally he 
dropped her hand and kissed her good-bye. 
Poor Jake was fighting a harder battle than 
he ever fought afterwards. The stores in 
Olney did not open that day. The people 
sat and stood around on the streets all day, 
so I was told, and did not leave town until 
about night. You may think strange I re- 
ceived no office. Lynch and 1 had our plans 
laid higher up, and as Lynch has passed 
away and they were only known to us, it 
is not meet to divulge or tell them now ; they 
miscarried. 

We went to Springfield and were there 
sworn into the service, given a musket, and 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



421 



forty rounds of ammunition were loaded on a 
long train of freight cars and started for 
Cairo, Illinois. When we arrived there 
were no tents nor accommodations of any 
kind. We went into camp at the junction 
of the two levees. By this time there came 
a battery of artillery from Chicago and Ben- 
jamin M. Prentiss took command of all the 
troops there. The camp now began to look 
like war, sure enough. Orders were issued 
to the troops to let no more boats go down 
the river. I think I am safe in saying this 
was the first blockade of the war. Shortly 
after the order by General Prentiss, there 
came a boat down, the artillery men fired a 
blank charge. The boat kept on as though 
nothing unusual was at hand; they then 
fired a shot, skipping across the water in 
front. Still the boat kept on ; then they fired 
two guns for damage. About a wagon-load 
of the upper part of the boat flew off and 
she began to whistle, came to the landing, 
and we took possession of her, I being one 
of the privates and William Bower was an- 
other; and the strange part of it was that 
this was one of the boats shown to Lynch 
about ten days before. She was loaded with 
munitions of war : twelve hundred stands 
of arms, hundreds of kegs of powder, tons 
of pig-lead and hundreds of thousands of 
percussion caps. 

FIRST ACT OF CONFISCATION. 

I have no doubt but this was the first act 
of confiscation of the war. When we were 
unloading the boat I remember hearing thi> 



conversation between Colonel Oglesby and 
General Prentiss: 

Oglesby said : "General, is there any law 
for this?" Prentiss: "Damn the law; take 
the goods ; they are contraband, then look for 
the law." At that time we were not as fa- 
miliar with the word "contraband" as we 
were afterward. 

We were then sent into Johnson county, 
Illinois, to guard a railroad bridge on the Il- 
linois Central, across Big Muddy river. We 
then returned to Cairo and after doing camp 
duty we were duly discharged from the three 
months' service, I going into the infantry 
again and Lynch into the cavalry. Lynch, af- 
ter serving one month as captain of the com- 
pany, resigned and served the other two 
months in the ranks as a private. In the 
cavalry, after passing the different grades in 
promotion, he reached the office of colonel of 
the Sixth Illinois Cavalry. Lynch has 
passed into the other life. He was a very 
positive man, very strict military disciplina- 
rian. He commanded, and no mistake, while 
on duty. At the battle of Nashville he com- 
manded five regiments of cavalry. He was 
ordered by General Thomas (Old Pap) to 
take and hold a certain point. He took it, 
but that brought him in range of a Confeder- 
ate fort, which opened on him at once. He 
ordered his men to dismount, draw sabres, 
and ordered the buglers to sound the charge. 
Away went the five regiments ( less the horse 
holders) on foot ; took the fort, turned the 
guns on the retreating enemy and turned the 
entire Confederate wing, changed the entire 
alignment of the two armies. Shortly after 



»-•-• 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND KKM1MSI KNT HISTORY (IK 



the Confederate roul was complete. After 
the battle was over Thomas senl Eor him 
and they had tins conversation: 

"General Thomas, my name is Lynch — 
you sent for me." 

"Thomas replied: "Are you Colonel 
I ,\ mil. i>f the Sixth Cavalry ?" 

"Yes, sir." 

"Where is your uniform, Colonel?" 

"1 never i >\\ ned one." 

"Are you the man that took that rebel fort 
with cavalrymen i in f< h it ?" 

'A es, sir." 

"What did yon order a charge "f cavalry 
<m fin it for?" 

"That damned rebel fort was shelling lull 
i mt m| my men, and 1 did not propose to 
stand there and take it and not fight back." 

"Don't you know that nowhere on record 
is mention made of cavalry charging on 
foot?" 

"\\ ell. you can now put it on record." 
\nd so ended the conversation. Of that 
one hundred and twenty-three men. Andrew 
J. Robinson was the first man killed. lie 
met Ins fate at Fort Donelson. Some were 
killed at Pittsburgh Landing; some in front 
of ( 'orinth ; some at ( ',< irinth on ( )ctober 4th 
and 5th, [862; some at Raymond and Dal- 
ton : some at Champion Hill, at Big Beach, 
.it Vicksburg, in front of Atlanta and on the 
March to the Sea. There is left of the one 
hundred and twenty-three only about four- 
teen 

During the war the writer was at home 
a short time on business Olney was then the 
headquarters for drafting men of this dis- 



trict. I here were some very dissatisfied men 
here and in adjoining counties, and other 
counties not adjoining. They organized a 
raid to destroy the enrolling papers for the 
draft. The command of that expedition was 
given to a man by the name of Isaac dibson. 
who now ( November 10. [908) lives in St. 

Louis county, Missouri, or did a few months 
ago. The citizens were informed of the 
raid, and hastily arming themselves, put 
themselves under my command. The first 
thing to do was to preserve the enrollment 
papers. Myself and some others put the pa- 
pers into wheat sacks and into a buggy and 
were driven by Jacob May out of the county. 
Mr. May long ago passed away. At that 
time there was a high picket fence around 
the old wooden court-house. We made the 
court-house our headquarters. William T. 
Shelby brought out the old flag I carried 
away from Olney in [86l over the first com- 
pany that left. I took it and climbed up 
into the cupola, knocked out a slat in the 
blind and let the flag float. 1 put pickets 
out on the mads leading to town, and gave 
them military instruction how to proceed. 

GIBSON AND HIS c, VNG. 

In a few nights here came Gibson and his 
bushwhackers. At a given signal, firing of 
the anvil, all the pickets were to come in 
quick. Gibson and his gang surrounded the 
court-house, but when he sized up the crowd 
1 had inside that picket fence, he found 1 
had about two to his one. and he was like 
the officer who led his men up the hill and 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



4-23 



then led them down again. He withdrew 
liis forces. We heard no more of him. We 
guarded the enrolling office until the govern- 
ment sent five companies of cavalry here, 
and this ended the war in OIney as far as I 
was concerned. I went back to where there 
was trouble for sure. In the process of 
time, I. like others, was mustered out of the 
service of my country. I saw many hard- 
ships and much hard fighting, but if I was 
of the proper age. and the same circum- 
stances presented themselves, I would enlist 
again, knowing as I know just what it is to 
be a soldier. 

The writer has a letter from the War 
Department in which, among other things, 
this language is used: "You were certainly a 
good soldier for the records show you were 
fifteen months in active hard field service 
before you took a dose of medicine; you was 
never in a hospital nor absent from duty." 

In closing this military sketch, I wish to 
say. not boastfully, but in all sincerity. I 
tried under all conditions and all circum- 
stances to serve my country honestly and 
faithfully to the best of my ability. Now 
I am living here in the place of my early 
manhood, in the enjoyment of the fruits of 
our labor. My wife and I have reached a 
reasonable, and I hope, an honorable old 
age. Let us say to all our friends and neigh- 
bors: We wish you well, and may the good 
Lord smootb the rough places in your life's 
uneven journey. 

OLNEY IX ITS INFANCY. 

Richland county was part of Clay and 
Lawrence counties. At the organization of 



the county, there was no town here, what 
is now Main and Walnut streets and Whit- 
tle avenue, was a cross-road, called Lilley's 
crossing. The land was owned by Thomas 
Lilley and Hiram G. Barney, who proposed 
to give ten acres of land each, to be laid out 
in lots and sold at public sale, the money thus 
raised to be used to build a court-house and 
jail. The lots were laid out and platted by A. 
T. David, a surveyor, the 20th day of Sep- 
tember. 1 84 1. 

Commencing on the north side of Main 
street, opposite Coen's Hotel, was the first 
lot west, and occupied by a saloon, owned 
and kept by Louis Sawyer, the first Sheriff 
of the count} - . The next was the residence 
of G. F. Powers, the next was a building 
occupied by the American Fur Company, 
where they dressed the pelts, put them into 
bundles and shipped them direct to Leipsic, 
Germany. The next was the residence of 
Joseph Harmon, the next was John Von 
Gunten's Bakery, the first regular bakery in 
Olney. Old man Ross, an old Revolutionary 
soldier, baked gingerbread before Olney was 
laid out. Mr. Von Gunten made "spruce" 
beer out of persimmons and some other truck 
unknown to the writer. The next was the 
residence of William Alkire. the next was a 
little building in which Dr. Ridgeway after- 
ward had a "drug store" and his office, next 
came the hotel, kept by Thomas Lille}', next 
was a one-story building, planked up and 
down, in which K. D. Horrall learned the 
tinner's trade, next was the drug store and 
office of Dr. Haynie, next was the store of 
Henry Spring. Redman's store is now on 
that site. Where Schultz's store is lived 



4 -'4 



BIOGRAPHK \l. AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



[onas Notestine, a tanner by trade, where 
Elliott's Hall and Hyatt's Opera House now 
stand lived John H. ( iunn ; where the Metro- 
pole is now lived I >r. Craig; where Landen- 
berger's buildings arc now, "Uncle" Jimmy 
Briscoe conducted a small saloon and the 
posl office in the same building, next was the 
store of Newell and Darling; next was the 

Store of A. L. and EL livers, next was their 
warehouse, over the front of which was 
painted : 

Iron, Nails, Stoves, Plows, Flour, Salt, Ba- 
con, Castings ami Whisky. 

I astingS here mentioned were skillets and 
lids, puts and other cast-iron utensils Eor 

cooking by the old fire place. 'The next was 
their pork-house, about thirty feet wide by 
One hundred and eighty feel long, the next 
was the residence i >f John* '.arret, then a tw< >- 
story building occupied below by P. Shaw 
as a book Store and watchmaker's shop. 
the first in Olney. In the upper story was 
the "Olney Dollar Weekly Gazette" office, 
which was owned, edited and printed by J. 
J. Bunting, Milo Powers and James Nabb, 
The next was Tom Nettletor's store. Where 
the Sanitarium now stands lived Frank 
I hap. and the old Union I totel was located 
on a pari of the ground. Next was the resi- 
dence of Thomas Ratcliff and his good wife. 

Where Dan Geatheart now lives lived Wil- 
liam Newell: next was a long (aboul 
one hundred feet) low building, in which 
lived many families. It was called "Hugel 
Row," after the owner; next was the resi- 



dence i if William lxidd, and that is as far east 
as the town was platted at that time and from 
Walnut street east only one tier of lots deep. 
On the south side of Main street, opposite 
Mr. Kidd. lived "Uncle" Jimmy Briscoe, in 
a big-two-story house (going west), next 

was the residence of Michael Stant'fer. also 
Ins tailor simp, the first tailor in Olney. 
Next was Mrs. Ileifner, the first milliner in 
( >lney. 

WHEN BLEACHED BONNETS w KKl wok.x. 

In those days the ladies wore white Leg 

horn bonnets, which had to he "bleached" 
e\er_\- spring and rebuilt. fhe bleaching 
process was performed by burning sulphur 

anil sending the fumes through the straw by 
a process unknown to the writer, but if you 
were in the immediate vicinity of the 
"kiln" when it was opened you would think 
there was a fresh crack in the roof of hell, 
'fhe next was the residence of Mr. I'.endel. a 
\er\ highly educated man: next was the 
building in which the writer and many oth- 
ers went to school to Mr. I'.endel. 'fhe next 

was a large building where Frank I leap 
made furniture by hand. Then came Uri's 
blacksmith shop, where Tom Ratcliff learned 
his trade \shiel Powers painted a sign, 
for Mr. Uri, of himself, nearly as large as 
life and perfect in every particular as to 
Mr. Uri. lie was represented as working 
on a plow on the anvil, and on the opposite 

side, on his hind legs, stood a big bear 

with the sledge drawn, and around his 
neck was an iron collar fastened with 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



425 



a padlock, a chain fastened to the col- 
lar, the end of the chain fastened to 
the collar, the end of the chain fastened to 
a tree just behind the bear. Now this pic- 
ture, to the ordinary reader who was born 
later on, may not have much meaning, but 
to us old men it means something-. 

Mr. Powers was born and reared in Ver- 
mont. He was a humane man. In those 
days a boy was "indentured" — that is, bound 
out to a tradesman for a certain number of 
years, the boss having the right to follow 
and bring back the "indentured." and in many 
cases the poor boy was treated very, very 
badly. The indentured to a trade was called a 
"cub." Xow you can see what Mr. Pow- 
ers represented in his picture of the bear, 
the collar, the chain and the tree to which 
he was firmly fastened. Mr. Uri's treatment 
of Mr. Ratcliff was good, which was rather 
an exception. The next was the residence 
of S. H. Gunn. whose widow is living there 
now ; the next was Gunn's store. On Satur- 
day, Mr. Gunn took a tub. put in about three 
gallons of whisky and two gallons of mo- 
lasses and stired it up. He called the mix- 
ture "black strap." This was free for his 
customers. 

The next was a small house in which the 
telegraph office was kept. The line was from 
Baltimore to Washington, to Pittsburg to 
Cincinnati to Louisville, to Vincennes. then 
along the old state road to St. Louis. Mis- 
souri. Reuben Gardner, now living in this 
county, helped to build this line. I think 
beyond doubt, he is the onlv man now liv- 



ing who helped to put it up. He is now over 
ninety years of age. 

The next (where Cooksey is now was 
a harness shop, owned by John Allen. 
Where McShane and Meunch is now. was 
the residence of John M. Wilson, the found- 
er of the Olney Republican in 1848. The 
next was the residence of Ashiel Powers, 
then Henry Springs's residence. Where 
Foskett & Gafner are now was the black- 
smith shop of J. H. and Henry Johns ; then 
a small room about twelve by sixteen in 
which K. D. Horrall began business in 
1856; then the harness shop of Henry Bar- 
ney, then a big low, one-story building in 
which Louis Hugel kept a clothing store, 
the first exclusive store of this kind in the 
county, back of which was a building origin- 
ally built for a stable, but was remodeled 
by Hugel, and into which the "Olney Dollar 
Weekly Gazette" was moved, and there sold 
to William M. Beck, and by him moved 
into another building, and the name changed 
to "The Olney Times," and in 1859 Mr. 
Beck put at the head of his columns, "For 
President in i860. Abraham Lincoln, of Il- 
linois." the first paper to publicly an- 
nounce Mr. Lincoln's name for the Presi- 
dency. He was elected November 8, i860. 
Mr. Beck passed into the other life Decem- 
ber 17, i860. The next was the harness 
shop of W. P. Laird : then a little short 
street, called "Lilley" street, running from 
Main to Market, one block: A. Dar- 
ling lived at the Market street end. 
then a building sidewise to the street 



4->« 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



iii which G. F. Powers and Nelson 
Cobley made furiture by hand. Where the 
head of Whittle avenue is now, stood the 

saloon of Andrew J. Saulsbury. Where the 
first National bank is. was the store of 
William Alkire; then the old wooden court- 
house, then the office of Horace Hayward, 
and that was as far west as the town was 
platted. South of llavward's office lived 
Judge Allied Kitchell, then Levi Xotestein. 
Where the jail and .stables belonging thereto 
are now, was the tanvard of Jonas and Levi 
Notestine, across the vats of which the wife 
of the writer jumped in her girlhood days. 
Where the four courts are now, lived Rob- 
ert B. Mamey, the first Judge of the Pro- 
bate Court of this county, and where the 
writer found his wife, now almost forty- 
seven years ago, south of the building and 
loan office lived M. B. Snyder, the Clerk of 
the Circuit Court, whose son, Samuel, was 
the first b >) baby born in < )lney. 

North on Walnut, from Main at York 
street on the west side, lived George Lutz, 
whose daughter, Sarah, was the first girl 
baby horn in Olney. Next Jonas Spanglor, 
next Jacob Hofman, Clerk of the County 
Court. On the east side was a big two-story 
house in which lived main' families. North 
on Mulberry street from Main, lived Henry 
Spanglor; north of Butler street was the 
old log school house in which the writer's 
wife and many others gol their first rudi- 
mental knowledge of the English language. 
This house was used as a court-house until 
the first one was built. It was also used 
as a Methodist Episcopal church, until [855, 



when the first Methodist Episcopal church 
was built here. Of all the people living in 
Olney at that time, there are only about ten 
persons living November, k>o8. 

Then came the building of the old Ohio 
& Mississippi (now the Baltimore & Ohio 
Southwestern Railroad, and Olney took on 
new life; then the old Peoria. Decatur & 
Eastern, now the Illinois Central: then the 
Cinncinnati, Hamilton <K: Dayton (old Dan- 
ville & Olney). Olney has grown from a 
small village to a city of about six thou- 
sand five hundred people. 

EARLY LAWYERS. 

1 remember some of the early lawyers of 

olney. among whom was Lindes I sher 

Ficklin, of Charleston. Charles II. Con- 
stable, of Mt. Carmel ; Judge Wilson, the 
lirst judge of this circuit, and Judge F. D. 
Preston, who was born in old F irt Barney, 
in Wabash county. Also 1 was personally 
known to Silas Bryan, of Salem. Marion 
count v. He was the father of William J. 
Bryan. There is a good joke told on Silas. 
He was .1 very devout man. given to much 
prayer. He was elected to the State Senate 
from thai district. I think he was a Pres- 
byterian. Mortimer O'Kean was elected to 
the State Senate from this district. lb- 
was a Catholic. Salem. Mr. Bryan's home 
town, was the mecca for divorces, u being 
on the stage line, and about the center of 
the state, east and west, and for the purpose 
of getting a divorce a residence of three 
mouths was all that was necessary, and the 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



-P7 



geographical location of Salem was tine for 
all persons concerned, and that part of the 
law practice made much bread and butter 
for the lawyers of Salem. O'Kean being a 
Catholic, he was eternally opposed to di- 
vorces, and about the first thing he did was 
to introduce a bill requiring twelve months' 
residence. That was striking deep and hard 
at the flour barrel of the lawyers of Salem. 
When the bill came up in the Senate for 
passage. Silas made a long speech against 
it. As soon as he was through, O'Kean 
arose in his seat, to reply. He was a quick- 
witted Irishman. He said: "Misther Prisi- 
dint, I have been for a long time thrying 
to find out what church Brother Bryan be- 
longs to ; now I know ; he is a Mormon," and 
sat down. Xever before was there such a 
tumult in the Senate chamber, whooping, 
yelling and stamping so much so that the 
House members came in to see what the 
fun was and on finding out, joined in the 
hurrah. As soon as the president of the 
Senate could get quiet enough to be heard, 
he put the bill on its passage and there was 
but one vote against it, and from that day 
to this, one year has been the limit. 

HIGGINS' PIPE DREAM. 

From the Olney Times of April 9. 1908. 

"In the fall of '66 or '67 Bryant Higgins 
asked Wilson and Hutchinson for desk 
room in this office during the winter which 
request was granted. He was then always 
very busy, figuring and plotting. One 
day, when no one was in he asked if we 



wanted to know what he had been doing, 
and. expressing our curiosity, he read 
us what we thought to be the wildest, weird- 
est and most improbable scheme ever pro- 
posed or ever dreamed of by a sane man. 
He proposed that the Russian government 
should build a railroad commencing at 
Orenberg on the Ural river, which is the 
dividing line between Europe and Asia, 
thence east to Harbin, thence build a branch 
south to Pekin, China. From Harbin, east 
to Vladivostock. on the Pacific Ocean, a dis- 
tance of six thousand miles. This road has 
been built exactly as mapped and planned 
by Higgins, except they ran the southern 
branch to Port Arthur, which at that time 
was unknown, and they ferry Lake Baikal, 
while Higgins mapped his road around the 
north shore. 

"To meet this road he planned a road to 
start at Duluth, west to Seattle, north from 
Seattle to Cape Prince of Wales, north of 
the sixty-seventh degree, near the mouth of 
the Yukon river, along the trail now trav- 
eled to reach the Klondike ; then across Beh- 
ring Strait, either by ferry or bridging into 
Asia. He said this bridging should be 
done with concrete cassions for piers from 
island to island, like that now being done 
on the Florida coast. 

"He had a chapter on isothermal lines by 
the trend of which the Japan current he 
claimed Alaska was destined to become 
thickly populated ; that strawberries grew 
and ripened on the Yukon bottoms and that 
river did freeze until one hundred and fifty 
miles from the mouth. You who are old 



428 



!:I(k;KAI'HK'AI. AM) reminiscent history of 



enough to remember if you 1< >» >k; back forty 
years, can sec how wild 1 deemed this 
when it was first read to me. After a few- 
days, I >;iid : 'Bryant, what arc you going to 
d i with your scheme?' He did not know. 

" \t that time S. S. Marshall was the 
representative of our district in Congress. 
I proposed we should send it to him to see 
what he could do with it. Marshall sub- 
mitted it to the Russian minister at Wash- 
ington and that part pertaining to Russia, 
1 was informed was translated and sent to 
the government of Russia, and I have no 
doubt was the origin of the Trans-Siberian 
Railroad. Afterwards Marshall gave the 
papers to a member of Congress from New 
York. Shortly after Higgins received a long 
letter from Charles Villard, whom he had 
never heard of. and they had quite a corre- 
spondence. I read that Charles Villard de- 
manded of his friends ten million dollars in 
ten days: no questions to he asked. He got 
the money and out of that grew the North- 
ern Pacific, the I >regon Short Line, and later 
the roads running up into Alaska through 
British Columbia, and now building to Helm- 
ing Strait. 1 had not thought of this matter 
for years until lately I met lliggins and 
asked him tu allow me to record the ar- 
ticle over again, when he informed me he 
had sent the only copy he had ever made 
with all his map- and figures t I Marshall. 

ENTIRI S( HEME MAY BECOME A FACT. 

"This scheme of lliggins' contemplated 
the building "i miles of railroad starting at 
Duluth, crossing Behring Straits, and con- 



necting on the Asiatic shore with the Rus- 
sian end, and thus giving an all rail route 
from any point in the United States to any 
point in Europe. Since then eleven thousand 
miles have been built and in a few years 
more lliggins' dream will be a reality by 
the completion of his entire proposition, 
even possibly of the bridging of Behring 
Strait. 

"The best of prophets of the future is the 
prophet of the past. So far he has never 
been known as the originator of the idea, 
and it was a mere accident that brought 
it to my mind. 

"E. S. Wilson." 
"Since the above Mas put in print, one 
thousand five hundred miles more of rail- 
road in Siberia, running northeast from 
Vladivostok, has been opened up for traffic." 

MAY-DAY PICNIC FORTY YEARS AGO. 

fifty years ago the following persons held 
a May-day picnic on box river, at Water- 
town. (Watertown ha- long since faded 
out): 

K.I). Horrall and Sarah Baird; Devius 
Baird and Rose McWilliams, Clark Richard 
and Lizzie Nesbit, Arch Spring and Mary 
Spring, J. H. Roberts and Manda Gunn, 
Frank Lowers and Sue Ilofman. S. P. Con- 
nor and Ella Hofman, T. W. Scott and Lib 
Ilofman. Charles 1 fillister and Lib Corroth- 
crs. Dan Edmiston and Hetty Whitney. Bry- 
ant Higgins and S. E. Marney. 

Of the above. Mr. Baird married Rose 
McWilliams. who is now deceased: Mr. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



429 



Rickard married Miss Nesbit, both deceased ; 
Mr. Roberts married Miss Gunn, the latter 
deceased. 

Arch Spring and Miss Spring are living. 
Mr. Powers, now deceased, married Miss 
Hofman. He is dead. Mr. Connor married 
Ella Hofman. She is dead. Lib Hofman 
is dead. Charles Hollister was killed at Cor- 
inth, October 5, 1862. K. D. Horrall mar- 
ried Miss Baird. Dan Edmiston married 
Miss Whitney. Both are dead. The writer 
married Miss Marney, and of the couples 
here mentioned, eight married and of the 
eight, the writer and his wife. K. D. Horrall 
and his wife, are all that are now living, who 
were afterward married. 



CHARLES DEAN. 



Americans are not hampered by the 
shackles of class distinction and it is every 
one's privilege to build the structure of his 
life as he sees fit. This gives us what is 
often termed the self-made man, a good ex- 
ample of which is found in the subject of 
our sketch, Charles Dean, of Alma township, 
Marion county. Mr. Dean is a descendant 
of that sturdy type of pioneers that pushed 
westward along the highway marked out by 
Daniel Boone in the early days of our 
country's history. His father, Samuel 
Dean, was a native of Maryland, and his 
mother, Cerena (Bishop) Dean, was born 
in Tennessee. When he was quite young his 
mother died, leaving the father surviving 
with several children. Thrown largely upon 



his own resources thus early in life, the boy 
developed that spirit of self-reliance and 
energy that forms such a marked character- 
istic of the self-made American. 

In 1875 Mr. Dean was married to Sarah 
E. Rush, who was born in Marion county, 
Illinois, November 14, 1851. She was the 
daughter of Samuel and Rebecca (Hatfield) 
Rush, the latter still living at the age of 
seventy-three years, in 1908. 

Mr. and Mrs. Dean have become the par- 
ents of three children, two of whom, Dollie 
and Daisy, died when quite young; the 
third, Noah, is now a practicing physician 
at Alma. As a boy he showed a keen in- 
terest in his studies and manifested consid- 
erable aptitude for the study of natural 
phenomena. 

As he approached manhood he decided to 
make medicine his profession, and his suc- 
cess in this field demonstrated his fitness for 
his chosen calling. He resolved to pursue 
his medical studies at some school of un- 
impeachable reputation, and finally entered 
the Iowa State Medical College. Keokuk, 
Iowa. Here he applied himself so vigorous- 
ly that he soon attracted the interest of the 
instructors and won the admiration of his 
classmates. His previous experience of 
four years as a teacher in the Marion county 
public schools, gave him a broad founda- 
tion for his later efforts and he finished his 
work with a standing of third in the gradu- 
ating class. Since establishing himself in 
practice he has joined in marriage to Miss 
Ester Delassus, of Patoka, a lady of most 
excellent culture and accomplishments. 



ISO 



BIOGRAPHICAL AM' REMINISCEN1 HISTORY OF 



\- a result of his years of hard and 
steady work. Charles Dean has brought his 
farm of eight) acres to a high degree of 
productiveness anil lias gained a wide repu- 
tation as a stockdealer, rivaling in this re- 
spect the excellenl reputation of liis father 
before him. Although a Democrat in poli- 
tics, Mr. Dean ha- never given any atten 
tion to questionable political methods, stand- 
ing at all times for a square deal for every- 
body concerned, lie and hi- wife are mem- 
bers of the Methodisl denomination and are 

held in high esteem by both neighbors and 
friends. 



WILLIAM 11. LESEMAN. 

From many parts of the world people 
have come to enjo) the advantages of the 
great state of Illinois, and few have re- 
gretted their coming. Although the per- 
centage of Prussians, compared with the 
number of inhabitants of that country and 
the number of immigrants from her sister 
nations who have settled in the land of the 
free, is not large, those found in tins stale 
are most progressive and they are always 
regarded as loyal and law-abiding citizens. 
The subjeel of this sketch is no exception t" 
the general rule. 

William II I eseman was born in Price 
Ninon, near Backonen, Prussia. October eo, 
[834, and when ten years of age was 
brought to America by his parents in [843, 
first settling 1 in Washington county, this 



state, but not finding conditions exactly to 

their tastes there, finally came on to Marion 
county, where they located in August of 
[884, and where they soon became assim- 
ilated with the new conditions and civih/a 
tion, developing a <j(mk1 farm from the un- 
improved soil which they secured. 

Our subject is the son of Henry and 
Christina I. eseman. whose family consisted 
of three sons and an equal number of 

daughters, William, our subject, having 
been the second in order of birth. lie 1- 
the only one of the family now living. 

\iter receiving what education he could 
in the common schools of this county and 
working on his father's farm until he had 
reached manhood, our subject married 
Catherine Dew ver June iS, iN<>_\ and soon 
thereafter began to work for himself on the 
farm. James and Catherine Pew yer were 
the parents of our subject's wife. There 
were eight children in this family, an equal 
number of boys and girls, Catherine, the 
wife of the subject, being the youngest and 
the only one of the children now living. 

The following children have been born 
to our subject and wife, there being eight, 
seven of whom are still living; Eddie, de- 
deased; Katie. Elenry, James. Albert. Wil- 
liam. Mice and \\ alter. 

Mr. I eseman is the owner of one hun- 
dred and sixty acres of \ ery fertile land, lo- 
cated in Alma township, all under a high 
state 1 >f culth atii >n. I le carries 1 in a general 
farming with that discretion and energy 
that always insure success and as a result 
of his able management of the place he 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES. ILLINOIS. 



4.V 



reaps excellent harvests from year to year, 
making a comfortable living, and laying up 
an ample competency for his old age. He 
keeps his fields in an excellent condition, 
carefully rotating his crops and thereby re- 
taining the original richness of the soil. Fie 
has a good and comfortable dwelling which 
is nicely furnished, and also a good barn, 
and considerable farming machinery, and 
good stock. All this he has made himself 
by his own energy and wise economy. 

In politics our subject is a loyal Repub- 
lican and takes a great interest in political 
affairs. In his religious belief he seems to 
favor the Methodist denomination, how- 
ever, his parents were always Lutherans in 
the Fatherland. The faith of the subject's 
wife's people was that of the Catholic be- 
lief, however, they later turned Protestant, 
and are now .Methodists. Our subject has 
always been known as a man of honesty and 
integrity and he has many friends in his 
ci immunity as a result of his well regulated 
life. 



STEPHEN SNUFFIN. 

Mr. Snuffin is well known and respected in 
German t iwnship, where for many a day he 
has lived and prospered. He was bom on 
November 22, [846, in Union county, Ohio, 
being the son cf Levi and Cathryne (Clark) 
Snuffin. His father was born and reared in 
Ohio and his mother was a native 1 1" l\ei- 
tucky. Their marriage took place in Ohio 
where they lived, (in a farm until iXno. when 



they came t 1 Illinois and bought thirty-seven 
acres oi land in German township, for which 
they paid about ten dollars an acre. It was 
prairie land, unimproved, but well fenced 
Levi Snuffin built a plank house upon the 
land and other buildings, and put the land 
into a state of cultivation. Here he remained 
and died at the age of sixty-two, being buried 
in Stolz cemetery in German township. 
Mother Snuffin survived for several years. 
dying June jo, 1906, aged eighty-five years: 
she is also buried in Stoltz cemetery. They 
were the parents of eleven children, nine of 
whom grew to maturity, the subject being 
the third in order of birth. 

Stephen Snuffin remained with his parents 
until his marriage. When the Civil war 
broke out he was but seventeen year- old, and. 
filled with the martial fervor of the time, he 
stealthily left home one morning at three 
■ 'clock, with the intention of enlisting at Ol- 
ney, but his father put a bar to his military 
career by reaching Olney in time to com- 
pel him to return home. Stephen's marriage 
took place on April 14. 1867. when he mar- 
ried Margaret Stoltz. She was born No- 
vember _>,}. [847, in Richland county. Illinois. 
being the daughter of Henry and Savilla 
1 Peoples) Stoltz. Her father was a native of 
Illinois, having been also born in Richland 
county. Her mother belonged to a Kentucky 
family, coming to Illinois with her parents 
when she was about three year- old. Her 
mother and father, on their marriage, settled 
on a farm in German township, where they 
remained several year-. They then sold their 
land and bought nineteen acres in another lo- 



43 2 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



cation in German township, which, at die husband and therefore did not receive an ex- 
time of their deaths, a mtained i iver i >ne lain- tended educatii m. 

dred acres. Mrs. Stoltz died in August, 1872, In politics Stephen Snuffin is an uncompro- 
aged fifty yeai s. I lenry St< iltz died in March, mising Republican and has taken quite an ac- 
[qoo, aged seventy-five. Both were buried tive part in politics in German township. He 
in Stoltz cemetery, German township. The)- served as a county mad supervisor for sex- 
were the parents of ten children, Mrs. Snuf- era! terms. He never aspired to hold any po- 



ini being second in order of birth. An eldei 
lnother served in the Civil war in the Fifth 
Illinois Cavalrj 
from small-pox while in service. 



having died at Yiekshur: 



litical offices and has contented himself as a 
w< irker in the cause. 

In the religious world, while he and his 
family are not members of any particular 



Stephen Snuffin and his wife at the time of church, they have always attended the Meth- 
their marriage, settled on a farm in Richland odist services and have liberally contributed 
county, and although they have moved sev- to the support of the same church, 
eral times since then, they have never left the The home life of Mr. and Mrs. Snuffin is 
county. During their married life six chil- very peaceable and happy, the children they 
dren have been bom to them, two of whom have reared being a constant and unfailing 
are now dead. In the regular order the chil- source of satisfaction to them, 
dren were named: Henry C. (deceased); 

Ella S., Alvord. Ldgar (deceased): Edwin. 

Samuel married Delia Jeffries, now deceased. 
His wife is buried in Kirksville, Illinois, and 
he has no living children. Ella married War- 
ren Musgrove. They reside on a farm near 
Electra, Texas, and have four children; two 
boys and two girls: Lawrence. Lex. Maurice 
and Ethel. Alvord and Edwin Snuffin are un- 
married. 

"Ilit- subject if our sketch received but a 
limited education in his young days. He 



GEORGE \\. CAMPBELL. 

One "f Xenia's most prosperous mer- 
chants is Mr. Campbell, who needs no intro- 
duction to the people of his township and 
county. During the years of his residence, 
from the close of the Civil war when he, 
with nothing more than half a dollar in his 



pocket, arrived in the township to the pres- 
attended the free common schools in German ent time, his progress has been marked and 
township, but owing to the necessary work rapid. A veteran of that war, his life uncov- 



to be done on the farm his attendance was 
anything but regular. He, however, mas- 
tered reading, writing and spelling. Mrs. 
Stephen Snuffin in her young days had edu- 



eis one of those unhappy family tragedies 
w huh that crisis in our hstory brought about. 
especially in the states of Virginia nad Mary- 
land, when the spectacle of father and -on 



cational difficulties verj similar to that of her taking different sides in the quarrel was seen. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



433 



George W. Campbell fought and bled for 
the Union, and his career in a business 
sphere since that time has been another suc- 
cessful struggle. 

He was born in Virginia on August 18, 
1843, the son of George Campbell and 
Amanda Wilcox, his mother, a native of 
Pennsylvania. His grandparents on his fa- 
ther's side were of Scotch-Irish descent and 
came to this country from Scotland. His 
father migrated to Virginia where he mar- 
ried and followed the occupation of a farmer. 
When the war broke out the elder George 
espoused the Southern cause, becoming a 
member of the Eighth Confederate Cavalry, 
and. having gone through the conflict died 
at Rock Island, Illinois, some years after. His 
wife died in 1878. 

George W. Campbell, at the outbreak of 
the war, was a member of the First Virginia, 
later the Ninth Virginia Volunteers, who 
supported the Northern banner, and this 
placed father and son in different camps. On 
account of his fighting against the Confed- 
eracy he was harshly dealt with by his par- 
ents who forbid him to return to the paternal 
home. His father was a prosperous farmer 
and upon his death the management of his 
estate falling to his wife, she disinherited her 
son George W. 

Our subject saw four years' service in the 
Civil War, engaging in thirty battles, be- 
ing twice wounded and twice taken prisoner. 
He was wounded at the battle of Sumner- 
ville, being shot in the thigh, and again at 
Sugar Creek, a ball entering his foot. In this 
last engagement the Union forces suffered 
28 



defeat in the morning, completely turning 
the tables in the afternoon when they com- 
pletely routed the enemy. 

George W. Campbell came to Xenia almost 
absolutely penniless, after doing a man's part 
to preserve the consolidation of his country, 
in the winter of 1867. He obtained work as 
a painter and afterwards learned carpentry 
and the cabinet-making trade. About thir- 
ty-six years ago he started in the undertaking 
and furniture business. Ever since he has 
engaged in that line his success has been 
marked. He met with trials and setbacks 
during the early period of his business life 
but they were of a temporary nature and nev- 
er obstructed his steady prosperity. 

He married on September 6,1874, Addie 
Morris, a lady whose parents came from 
Ohio, bringing her with them when she was 
but three years old. Mrs. George W. Camp- 
bell bore her husband one son, William, who 
has been a constant source of comfort to his 
parents during their life. He is a licensed 
embalmer and is associated with his father in 
business. Some years ago he marred Ada 
Corson, of Xenia. They have two children. 

Mr. Campbell is a Democrat in politics and 
a sturdy adherent of the Democratic ticket. 
He has never been ambitious to hold public 
office, but he has served for a time as Mayor 
and Alderman. George W. Campbell and 
his wife are members of the Baptist church 
and zealous in church affairs. He is, himself, 
a prominent member of the Masonic Fra- 
ternity in Xenia and a leading member of the 
local branch of the Grand Army of the Re- 
public. 



43 4 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HI-loKY OF 



George W. Campbell, in addition to his 
large mercantile business, is a large real es- 
tatc owner in Xenia, and the owner of resi- 
dential as well as business property. His 
store is a spacious one, being eighty feet l>_v 
thirtv-iive feet, the business being conducted 
t)ii two floors. 

The subject of our sketch is deservedly 
popular with the people of every creed and 
class m the community, and the well merited 
success he has won during the course of an 
eventful life is hut his just deserts. 



WILLIAM THOMAS WILKINSON. 

In the subject of this review we have a 
representative of one of the most honored 
pioneer families in Marion county and one 
who is recognized as one of the most pro- 
gressive farmers of his locality, owning and 
operating in a most successful manner at 
this time three farms of great value. He is 
regarded by all who know him as being a 
mosl capable and energetic man, broad 
minded and sound in his business principles. 

William Thomas Wilkinson was born in 
Meacham township, this county, January 
21, 1859, the son of H. C. Wilkinson, who 
was horn in Kentucky in 1825, and who 
passed to his rest at the early age of forty- 
six years, hut not until he had stamped his 
individuality upon the community where he 
lived. He wa- the father of seven children, 
three sons and four daughters, three of 
whom are now living, the subject being the 



third in order of birth. Our subject's 
mother's name in her maidenhood was Har- 
riet A. Nichols. She married H. C. Wil- 
kinson in Marion county, Illinois. 

Our subject spent his early life on the 
home farm and attended the district schools 
where he applied himself in an able manner 
and gained a fairly good education. 

Mr. Wilkinson has devoted his life to 
agricultural pursuits and he has been emi- 
nently successful in his chosen work, hav- 
ing by sheer force of individuality, business 
acumen and persistency won his way from 
an humble beginning to a place of promi- 
nence and comparative affluence in his 
county, owning three farms, consisting col- 
lectively of three hundred and sixty-eight 
acres. One hundred and forty acres is in 
Meacham township, one hundred and forty 
acres in Alma township and sixty-eight 
acres in Kinmundy township. All these 
farms are under a high grade of cultivation 
and yield the owner a comfortable compe- 
tency from year to year. They all show that 
the owner is a man of the best modem 
methods of agriculture. On each of these 
is located a good house and out buildings. 
Mr. Wilkinson has various kinds of good 
stock on the farms. 

Mr. Wilkinson married Prudence Kenedy 
on August 17, 1SS2, in Marion county, Illi- 
nois. She is a native of Washington 
county and the daughter of James P. and 
Elizabeth 1 McBride) Kenedy, the former 
a native of Tennessee and the latter of Ran- 
dolph county, Illinois. The wife of the sub- 
ject was one of a family of eleven children. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



435 



she being the eighth in order of birth. Her 
parents were United Presbyterians but she 
worships with her husband, as do all the 
family, in the Methodist church, of which 
Mr. Wilkinson is a steward. 

The following children have been born 
to the subject and wife: Bert E. is a tele- 
graph operator in Wyoming in the employ 
of the Union Pacific Railroad ; Claude E., 
Jennie P.. Charles H., Irene. Bert E. mar- 
ried Alice Hiddleson, living in Cheyenne, 
Wyoming, and they have one child. Claude 
E. married Stella Danison. Jennie P. mar- 
ried John R. Telford, who lives in Kin- 
mundy township. Claude is a teacher in the 
county schools, and he farms one of his 
father's places. He has a good wife and 
a nice home. He was educated in the Kin- 
mundy high school. 

Our subject is a loyal Democrat, and he 
has faithfully and conscientiously served his 
community as Township Collecter and as 
Road Commissioner for three terms. He 
has always taken a deep interest in public 
affairs and his support can always be 
counted on in all movements looking to the 
general good of the locality where he lives. 
Considering the hardships and obstacles of 
his early life he deserves a great deal of 
credit for what he has accomplished, for his 
father died when he was fourteen years old 
and he and John H, his brother, had to help 
their mother raise the rest of the children. 
This developed a strong independent and 
sturdy manhood and a frugal and thrifty 
mentality which is very largely re- 
sponsible for his subsequent success in life. 



Prosperity seems to have attended every 
worthy effort he has made, with the result 
that before the evening of life advances 
upon him he finds himself and family very 
comfortably situated, and the future, what- 
ever it may have in store for him and his, 
inspires no shadow of fear in his breast. 



JOHN A. PEIRCE. 

Who is there who is not proud of his fam- 
ily tree, be it of ever so short a growth? A 
great many find a fascinating pleasure in 
looking back over the vista of the years with 
their memories of Plymouth Rock and Revo- 
lutionary struggles to trace their line of an- 
cestry through the labyrinths of history. 
The family memory of the subject of the 
present sketch runs back to the sixteenth cen- 
tury when its originators emigrated from 
England, and some members of his family 
hold an heirloom in the form of a Bible print- 
er! in 1608, the pages of which have been 
thumbed by succeeding generations of the 
Peirce family down to the present time. John 
A. Peirce, the member of the family whom 
we wish to refer to at present, however, is 
not content to allow the memory of the past 
t( 1 1 >vershadow the future. As a practical and 
industrious skilled mechanic he has upheld 
the family tradition of progress and push, 
and the activity of his life has won him a 
front place in the industrial world. His busi- 
ness today is the best equipped on the Balti- 
more & Ohio Railroad line of any of its kind 
between St. Louis and Vincennes. 



43<'> 



UIOC.KAPHICAL AND RK M 1 N 1SCENT HISTORY OF 



John A. Peirce was born in the vicinity of 
Xenia, on March i_\ [843, his Eather being 
John Peirce, a native of Portsmouth, New 
Hampshire, who came west in 1835, and lo- 
cating first at Rock Island, Illinois, thence 
coming to Clay county in 1837. His father 
followed the occupation of fanner and print- 
er, being a fanner most of the time. When 
the present Baltimet , e-& 0bk) Railroad was 
built, his father owned forty acres of land 
on the site of the present railroad station and 
which is part of the original town of Xenia. 
John Peirce, Senior, was the first station- 
agent of the Balitmore & Ohio, filling the 
position for two years, becoming the agent 
in June, t n 5 5 , the Baltimore & Ohio people 
running their first train through on the 4th 
of July following. The subject of the pres- 
ent sketch has in his possession a freight or- 
der >heet — one of the first written — issued 
in his father's handwriting. Upon leaving 
the employ of the Baltimore & Ohio, the eld- 
er John Peirce went into the woolen mill in- 
dustry, which business was disposed of in 
1863. The grandfather of the subject of 
our sketch was Thomas Peirce, who is 
thought to have been a native of New Hamp- 
shire, the family having come as we have 
already stated, from England, their ancestors 
emigrating to America in 1697. 

The mother of John A. 1'eirce was born 
Jane ( atherine Davenport. Her people were 
natives of Virginia. She died in October, 
1855. having given birth to three children, 
of which the subject of this sketch is the 
only survivor. 

'fhe education received by John A. Peirce 
was of the common -chool variety. It took 



place in the old common schools 111 Xenia. At 
eighteen years of age he enlisted in Com- 
pany (i. Twenty-first Illinois Volunteers (in- 
fantry) for service in the Civil war, his 
term of service running over four years and 
eight months. During that period he passed 
through the hardest part of the conflict, par- 
ticipating in the battles of Chickamauga, Sep- 
tember 19-20. 1863; historic Frederickstoun, 
October 21, 1861 ; Perry ville, Kentucky, Oc- 
t< iber 8, 1862 ; Stone River, December 30-.} 1 . 
1862; Franklin, Tennessee. November 30, 
18(14; Nashville, Tennessee, December 15-16, 
1864. He emerged from the Civil war unin- 
jured, and on January 2^, 1866, he obtained 
his discharge. He then came back to Xenia 
and went to work as an engineer in the wool- 
en nulls. Later on he applied himself to the 
painting trade and also as a tinner. In 1878 
he interested himself in machine shop work 
and in 1880 established himself in his present 
location in the machine industry. His plant 
at the present time is equipped with all the 
most up-to-date machines ami appliances and 
contains lathes, shapers, etc.. of the most 
improved type. Mr. 1'eirce is a skilled and 
experienced machinist and superintends as far 
as possible the output of his factory. 

His marriage took place January 12, 1868, 
to Fidelia Westmoreland, who is a native of 
Illinois. Mrs. Peirce bore her husband live 
children: Helenora (deceased); Mary Eliz- 
abeth, (deceased); Nellie, Mrs. Amanda 
Jane Bradley, of Xenia. Illinois: Mrs. Mary 
Stout, of Taylorville, Illinois. Mrs. Peirce 
is still active in life and conducts a mil- 
linery store in Xenia, on her own behalf. 

John A. Peirce is a member of the Metho- 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



437 



dist Episcopal belief, being a trustee of the 
local church. Mrs. Peirce is also of the same 
religion as her husband. In fraternal life, 
John A. Pierce belongs to the Independent 
Order of Odd Fellows, at Xenia. He was 
a charter member of the John A. Logan Post 
of the Grand Army of the Republic, but has 
now retired from active participation in 
same. In politics he is a Republican. He 
contents himself in voting his party's ticket 
at election times, and does not dabble in local 
political affairs. He is progressive and in- 
telligent citizen and a man whose record in 
private as well as in every-day life is pecu- 
liarly free from taint of all that is undesirable. 
He is known to be a charitable and friendly 
neighbor and a man whose success in life is 
looked upon with pleasure by his large cir- 
cle of f riends and by his townspeople in gen- 
eral. 



GEORGE WASHINGTON DOSER. 

Although his journey along the pathway 
of life has been beset by many obstacles, and 
he has undergone many privations, George 
Washington Doser, in the sunset of his ca- 
reer, is living quietly at his home in Pres- 
ton township, Richland county, Illinois, amid 
most pleasant and congenial surroundings. 
The subject of this sketch is the true type 
of what is termed the self-made man, who 
through his industry and perseverance accu- 
mulated a sufficiency of this world's goods to 
enable him to enjoy a life of ease in his de- 
clining years. In the locality in which he 



has lived for almost a half century, this ven- 
erable man is held in high esteem for his 
sterling worth and rugged honesty. 

Air. Doser was born in Clark county, Ohio, 
October 2, 1825. He was the son of Michael 
and Regna (Zirkle) Doser. Of his father 
the subject has very little knowledge, ow- 
ing to the separation of his parents during 
his early boyhood. His mother was born in 
Virginia in 1808, and her parents were na- 
tives of the same state. While a young girl, 
her parents removed to Ohio, and she re- 
mained with them until her marriage to the 
father of the subject. As a result of this 
alliance two children were born, of which the 
subject was the eldest, the younger brother 
dying in infancy. Shortly thereafter, owing 
to an incompatibility of temper, the couple 
decided that they were not well-mated, and 
the marital bonds were dissolved. When 
Mr. Doser was in his sixth year his mother 
again entered wedlock, espousing Jonathan 
Zirkle, and eight children were the fruit of 
this union. The subject remained with his 
mother and step-father until he was fifteen, 
when he took up his residence with his grand- 
father. He was twenty-three years old, No- 
vember 23, 1847, when he married Eliza 
Welgamuth, in Clark county, Ohio. He and 
his bride took up their abode on a rented 
farm, where they remained until 1864, when 
they moved to Richland county. Illinois, set- 
tling upon eighty acres of land, in Preston 
township, for which they paid fifteen dollars 
per acre. Of this land, sixty acres was prai- 
rie, and had never been tilled, while the re- 
maining twenty acres were bottom timber 



43* 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



land. 'The only improvement on this farm 
.'.a- a frame house, and the subject of this 

sketch was compelled to remodel this struc- 
ture, and build stables, fences, etc. Mr. I >< ser 
finally sold this farm, and for the next nine 
years rented farms. At the end of that pe- 
riod lie had accumulated a competence, and 
as the result of a decision to give up the pur- 
suit of agriculture he purchased property 
in the town of Dundas, where he and his wife 
now live. 

Six children were horn to Mr. and Mr-. 
Doser, three boys and three girls, namely: 
Socrates, John. Albert, Mary. Harriet and 
Anes. All of them reached the years of 
maturity hut Socrates, Man,- and Anes have 
passed to the beyond. 

In the boyhood days < if Mr. 1 )oser the edu- 
cational facilities were limited, and decidedly 
crude as compared with the splendid sys- 
tem in vogue today. I le attended about two 
months of what was known as subscription 
school before he had attained his fifteenth 
year, using only an elementary spelling book 
in pursuing his studies. Later he became 
a pupil in the free school for the short space 
of three months in three years, making a 
total of nine months. Here he used an ele- 
mentary speller and reader, and absorbed a 
smattering of arithmetic. Blackboards were 
unknown in those days. The desks were 
wide boards placed across wooden pins, fas- 
tened in holes bored in the walls. The -eats 
consisted "f benches, home-made with four 
den pins for legs. 

Although Mr. Doser ha- never taken an 
active part in politics, he has always affiliated 



with the Democratic party, having cast his 
first vote for President Van Buren. He has 
served four years as road overseer, but in 
the year 1908 was the first time that he re- 
ceived any remuneration for his services. 

Both the subject and his wife in the early 
years of their life in Ohio united with the 
Lutheran church, and they have been active 
members of this denomination ever since, 
very seldom missing a service. 



WILEY ROSE. 



One of the fascinating features of the 
farming industry is the opportunity it af- 
fords for individual effort and experiment. 
One can not only till the soil in raising the 
usual routine of crops, but he can also 
specialize along certain lines and thus 
broaden his own knowledge by experiment 
and in this way contribute to the knowledge 
and advancement in such special fields. 
We make mention in this connection 
of the name of the subject of this brief re- 
view. Wiley Rose, a life-long resident of 
this count}-. Mr. Rose has not only farmed 
but has devoted special attention to the 
raising Of poultry and has given this subject 
considerable thought and study. As a re- 
sult he has become thoroughly familiar with 
the business and is good authority on the 
various phases of the industry. Mr. Rose 
was born on the 12th day of September. 
1857, being the son of James and Peggy 
Ann ( Burkette) Rose, who were the parents 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



439 



of four children, our subject being the third. 
Mr. Rose was brought up on a farm, an 
environment which is now and always has 
been a most wholesome one for growing 
youth. He received his education in the 
neighboring district schools, and as he grew 
to manhood he made up his mind to make 
farming his chief occupation. 

On September 7. 1879, he was joined in 
marriage to Serelda Wooten, who was born 
in Ohio in October, 1861, being one of a 
family of nine children. This union has 
been blessed with a family of six children. 
Xora M. was born on January 7, 1881, and 
has become the wife of William Wantland 
and is the mother of one boy ; Gertrude A. 
was born on the 26th of June, 1884, and 
was married to Frank Schaffer, being the 
mother of two sons; Pearl M. was born on 
the 26th of March, 1886, and was joined 
in marriage to Miss Laura Smith ; Fannie 
B. was born on the 8th of October, 1888, 
and has become the wife of Albert Smith ; 
Elmer L. and Mormon E. are still at home, 
the former being born on June 23, 1892, 
and the latter on June 12, 1895. 

Mr. and Mrs. Rose are members of the 
Cumberland Presbyterian church, and are 
held in high esteem by the members of the 
congregation. They stand well in the com- 
munity, being most accommodating in their 
dealings and ready at all times to lend a 
helping hand to whoever opportunity af- 
fords. Mr. Rose has been a lifelong Demo- 
crat, but is most pronounced in his stand 
for a fair and honest discharge of all offi- 
cial duties. He maintains that service in 



public office is not only a privilege but a 
sacred obligation, and should not be looked 
upon in any other light, except the one 
calling for the highest integrity and con- 
scientiousness. 



JOSEPH E. TULLY. 

The portly form of Joseph E. Tully is but 
a natural indication in one respect of his 
largeness. He is large in mind as well as 
body and his business interests are appreci- 
ated not alone in Xenia and Clay county, but 
also through all that section of the state of 
Illinois. His standing in the community is 
of the highest and as one of Xenia's leading 
citizens and as president of the Orchard City 
Bank, he has established for himself the rep- 
utation of a man of business talents of the 
highest order. He is a citizen in whom the 
most implicit confidence may be placed with- 
out fear of betrayal and one in whose com- 
position the elements of honesty is not lack- 
ing. 

Joseph E. Tully was born in Marion coun- 
ty, Illinois, on the 31st of December, 1849; 
his father was also a native of Marion com. 
tv, and a farmer, who moved to Clay county 
about the year 1855, where he lived until 
his death which happened about 1903. His 
grandfather was Mark Tully, who was well 
known in the life of Marion county at one 
time. The family originally came from Vir- 
ginia, and Grandfather Tully was at one time 
a farmer, and later a hotel-keeper in Salem. 



440 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



Joseph E, Tully's Father served with distinc- 
tion in the Civil war. being a soldier in the 
Forty-eighth Illinois Infantry. His mothers 
own name was Sarah Ellston, who belonged 
to a familj of English extraction. She was 
herself reared in Marion county, her death 
occurring about 1902. To his parents six 
children were born, five of whom are now liv- 
ing, viz: Joseph K., the subject of our 
sketch; Mrs. [da Kribs; Miss Aggie 'Fully; 
Mrs. Rose Maxey, and Mrs. Lou Gaugher. 

The Tully family came when the subject 
of our sketch was hut six years old to Clay 
county, where they settled. Joseph received 
an educatic in in the Ii teal c< >rrtm< in schools and 
showed aptitude and ability whenever he 
cared to study. When not quite fourteen 
years old, about the time of the Civil war, 
his youthful patriotism asserted itself and he 
joined the One Hundred and Thirty-sixth 
Illinois Volunteers and later affiliated with 
the One Hundred and fifty-fourth Illinois 
Volunteer Infantry, his term of military ser- 
vice extending over a period of sixteen 
months. \t the conclusion of the war he 
went into the grocery business in Xenia 
and later branched oul extensively in the 
mercantile line. He ha- now been in busi- 
ness in Xenia for forty years and lie is 
looked upon a- one of the most important 
and influential figures in its business life 
as well as a substantial and prosperous citi- 

In [870, on the roth of ( (ctober, hi- mar- 
riage with Fanny Paine, who was horn in 
Xew Bedford, Massachusetts, took place. Mr. 
and Mr-. Joseph E. Tully"- married life 



proved a very happ) one. and three children 
have been horn to them. The sons, James 
M. Tully and \V. P. Tully, are now grown to 

manhood and are of great assistance to their 
lather, both being associated with him in his 
constantly growing business. Their only 
daughter is now 1 Mrs. Lois Holstlaw. of 
luka. Illinois. 

In politics Joseph E. 'fully is a consis- 
tent and loyal Republican. He has never as- 
pired much to make a name in local political 
affairs, contenting himself to attend to the 
business interests which he has been so suc- 
cessful in guiding'. However, he was hon- 
ored with the postmastership of Xenia for 
the twelve years immediately following the 
Civil war and while that position was en- 
trusted to him he fulfilled the duties of office 
to the entire satisfaction of the people of 
the community, whose willing servant while 
.1 public officeholder he ever proved himself 
1' ' he. 

Hi- keen business insight and intuition in 
the industrial world was not allowed to go 
without recognition, and he has been in- 
stalled as president of the Orchard City Bank, 
which i- a stable and conservative institution 
and the business of which is carried out in 
harmony with the best methods of the bank- 
ing world of today. Joseph Tully has given 
time and attention to the .affairs of the insti- 
tution and his advice and counsel have been 
responsible for tiding it over obstacles in 
the past. He is also the owner of an up-tO- 

date dairy, equipped with all the modern 

dairy appliances, which is a pleasure to in- 
spect. He ha- also found time in his busy 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



441 



life to superintend extensive farming in- 
terests and his success along agricultural 
lines has admirably compared with his suc- 
cess in other endeavors. 

Joseph Tully and his wife are of much im- 
portance in the social life of Clay county 
where their genial and winning qualities 
have made them much sought after. He is a 
member of the Baptist church and they have 
not been behind in helping onward the 
good work of religious progress in the town- 
ship. 

He is active in fraternal and club life where 
his genial appearance is generally heralded 
by the good humor and cheerfulness which 
he seems to have a trick of imparting to all 
who come in contact with him. He is a 
popular and prominent member of the Ma- 
sonic Fraternity and is one of the most widely 
known Grand Army of the Republic men in 
the vicinity. 



PETER KERMICLE. 

When he gazes over his broad acres of well 
cultivated land the subject of this ketch is 
justified in feeling that he has achieved the 
acme of his ambition, when in his early life 
he became imbued with a determination to 
some day take front rank among the agricul- 
turists of the Middle West. That Peter Ker- 
micle is a popular man and stands high in 
the estimation of the people of Preston town- 
ship, Richland county, Illinois, is attested by 
the fact that he has been elected to public 



office on many occasions, and is at the pres- 
ent time Justice of the Peace for that town- 
ship, having discharged the duties thereof 
for the past fifteen years. 

Mr. Kennicle was born May 28, 1830, in 
Hardin county, Kentucky, which afterwards 
became La Rue county, being the second of 
nine children of Samuel and Mary (Trainor) 
Kennicle. The former was born in Alary- 
land, the latter in Virginia, January 30, 1800. 
The father of Mr. Kennicle moved to Ken- 
tucky when the son was quite young and 
settled on a farm in La Rue county, where he 
died in 1855. It was not long after the death 
of the father before the family moved to 
Richland county, and it was a very long and 
tedious trip, part of the trip being made by 
wagon and water. Upon their arrival at 
their destination they took up their resi- 
dence with two older brothers, who had pre- 
ceded them to Richland county. The moth- 
er of Peter Kennicle died in 1874. 

Of the nine children born to the parents of 
the subject, seven grew to the years of ma- 
turity. In 1850 Mr. Kennicle removed to 
Coles county, Illinois, where he worked for 
two years for a cousin in the capacity of farm 
hand, sharing crops one year, and receiving 
ten dollars per month for the other twelve 
months. In 1852, on a soldier's land warrant, 
he entered eighty acres of land in Richland 
county, and later entered eighty additional 
acres, paying therefore the sum of one dollar 
and twenty-five cents per acre. On Decem- 
ber 6, 1852, he was wedded to Elizabeth 
Veech, who was born in Hardin county, 
Kentucky, September 10, 1827, and came to 



44-2 



BIOGRAPHICAL \M> REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



( oles county, Illinois, with an elder sister in 
185a, removing from there to Richland coun- 
i\ two years later. She was the daughter of 

John and Mary 1 Kinkade) Ycecli. both be- 
ing natives of Kentucky. The wife of the 
subject was the youngest of nine children. 
Her mother died in Kentucky in 1848, and 
the husband survived her but live years. 
Three children of this family died in Ken- 
lucky and six in Illinois. The wife of Peter 
Kermicle died on the home place in Preston 
township, January 1, 1897, aged sixty-nine 
years. She was a member of the Baptist 
church. As the result of this union four 
children were born, namely: John William. 
Mary Jane. Samuel Warren and Lucy Ann. 
all of whom arc living, and are fairly pros- 
perous. 

The subject contracted a second marriage 
November 17. 1898, when he wedded Mrs. 
Nancy Lanter {nee Ping), who was born in 
l.-i^pcr county, Illinois. March 4. 1854, her 
parents both dying while she was still a 
child. The father of the second wife of the 
subject was horn in Kentucky in 1830, and 
the mother in Decatur county. Indiana, in 
1835. The father of Mrs. Kermicle went to 
Jasper county, [llinois, with his parents in 
1N40. where they entered a large tract of 
land, but the Indians were so numerous and 
troublesome that the family returned to Ken- 
lucky, remaining there but a short time when 
they returned to Illinois, and settling up in 
the land that they had originally taken up 
in 1S40. The Indians having been driven 
out of that section of the state, they now 
built a hewed log-house, and other buildings 



needed out of hewed logs. The mother and 
grandfather continued to live on this place 
until the fall of [867, when the latter died. 
the mother passing away five years later. 

Silas Ping married Amanda Todd in 
[852, and they settled on what was known 
as Ping Prairie, ten miles east of New ten. 
the same being a part of the old homestead 
settled by his parents in 1X40. forty acres 
having been given him by his father. He 
finally sold this farm, and moved to Claw- 
ford county, settling in that locality that is 
now known as "Dark Bend," buying eighty 
acres of land. He remained here two years. 
and rented a farm north of Willow Hill. 
where his wife died February 21. 1865. 
Subsequently he married again, his bride 
being a widow. Mrs. Sarah Jane Gibbons 
(nee Mock), the ceremony being performed 
in Coles county, in November, 1866. His 
death occurred four weeks later. 

The mother of the subject's second wife 
was born in Decatur county, Indian.!, and 
was the daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth 
(Callahan) Todd, who were both natives of 
Kentucky, her mother dying when she was 
about ten years -u' age, the father remarry- 
ing shortly after to Ruth kidlen. a native of 
Indiana. She ace impanied her parents t.> 
Willow Hill, where she married Silas Ping. 
She was the third of ten children, sewn girls 
and three hoys, all of whom lived to maturity. 
Her father died in 1N72 in Jasper county at 
the age of seventy-two years. 

The second wile of the Subject is the sec- 
ond of seven children, live girls ami two 
b rys. Her first husband, William Lanter, 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



443 



died in 1898, one boy being born to them, 
and he is still living. Nathan Samuel being 
his name. He is married, with a family at 
Bone Gap, Edwards county, Illinois. 

.Mr. Kermicle is a Democrat, and takes 
quite an interest in township and county poli- 
tics. He has been Road Supervisor, Road 
Commissioner, Township Assessor, and 
Township Collector two terms each. Both 
himself and wife are members of the Baptist 
church. The subject is considered one of the 
most prosperous men in the township, and 
there are none in the community to begrudge 
him his success. He is a self-made man in 
every sense of the term. Mr. Kermicle had a 
farm of two hundred acres, which he has di- 
vided among the children. 



GEORGE W. STRATTON. 

It affords great pleasure and satisfaction 
to anyone to be able to refer to his an- 
cestors as worthy representatives of noble 
character or specific achievement. Perhaps 
one of the most interesting and universally 
admired characteristics of many of our 
forefathers was their bravery and self-sacri- 
fice when our Republic was in danger and 
the great willingness on their part to stake 
their all in its defense. This is especially 
true when we find that our line of fore- 
fathers includes members of the Revolu- 
tionary troops. Viewed through the per- 
spective of the years that have gone by, we 
are almost amazed at their heroic spirit. A 



descendant of one of these heroes is George 
W. Stratton, of Alma township, this county, 

Air. Stratton was born in Columbia 
county, Pennsylvania, on the last day of the 
year 1832. As intimated above his grand- 
father was an officer in the Continental 
army under Washington, and did valiant 
service in the cause of liberty and union. 
His father was William Stratton and his 
mother Mary Farley. They were devout 
members of the Christian church. George 
received his education in the common 
schools of the neighborhood and early be- 
gan work on his own responsibility. He 
was the second of five children and came 
to Marion county in 1875. He has devoted 
the most of his time to farming and stock 
raising and has succeeded in carrying out 
his ideas and methods to a most successful 
issue. 

On February 16, 1854, he was united in 
marriage to Catherine M. Alperman, and 
this union has resulted in the birth of the 
following children: Mary J., wife of Rob- 
ert Wright, of Oklahoma, and the mother 
of one child. She was again married after 
his decease; Elias B., deceased, married 
Anna Eaton, to whom were born three chil- 
dren ; Alice E., wife of Aaron Hutchinson; 
Philip R. married Marie Marshall, and they 
are the parents of five children, two of whom 
are deceased ; William Edwin married Dor- 
othy Kagy, and has a family of two chil- 
dren ; Emma, deceased. Mrs. Stratton was 
one of a family of six children, she being 
the second in order of birth. 

The Stratton farm of eighty acres is one 



444 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



of the best kept and productive homesteads 
in the neighborhood and stands as a tes- 
timonial to what hard work and steady, 
intelligent application can accomplish. 

Mr. and Mrs. Stratton are members of 
the Christian church and are willing and 
efficient workers. No one receives from 
them anything but kind and considerate 
treatment and the social atmosphere of the 
home is one appreciated by their many 
friends and neighbors. Politically Mr. 
Stratton is a believer in Democracy, and ad- 
heres to the party's principles, though never 
an aspirant to public preferment. 



GEORGE WASHINGTON' STANI Il- 
l-OKI). 

The subject of this sketch is a veteran of 
the War nf the Rebellion, and as a souvenir 
of one of the many battles in which he en- 
gaged with distinction carries in his knee a 
leaden missile from a Confederate gun. He 
displayed great valor in those strenuous days 
if carnage. In Preston township, Richland 
County, Illinois, where he has lived For many 
years is well and favorably known. 

Mr. Standiford was burn in Hardin coun- 
ty, Kentucky. September 5, [846, the son 
of Archibald B. and Eliza Jane (Courtrighl i 
Standiford, who were also natives of that 
state, as w ere their parents bef< ire them. The 
grandfather of the subject served for seven 
years in the Revolutionary war under 1 ieorge 
Washington, and when the strife came In an 



end returned to Kentucky to engage in agri- 
cultural pursuits. The father of the sub- 
ject was born in 1804. He was also a sol- 
dier, having served three months in the Black 

I lawk war. Shortly after his return to his 
home in Hardin county. Kentucky, he was 
we: Meil to Eliza Jane Courtright, and in the 
year of 1850 they started overland to Illinois, 
enduring many hardships before they arrived 
at their objective point, Jasper county. I [ere 
Mr. Standiford purchased eighty acres of 
land, of which seventy acres were of timber, 
while the remainder had beat cleared. Their 
dwelling was a rude log house, and there 
was also on the land a sort of makeshift of 
a stable. The clearing of the timber land 
was a herculean task, but Mr. Standiford 
finally succeeded in getting forty acres 
thereof under cultivation. The subject was 
then four years old, and the family remained 
on the place until the death of the father, 
September id. 1S66, aged sixty-two years. 
The mother survived him by several years, 
she dying in Indian Territory. August 20, 
[903, at the ripe old age of ninety- 
five. When the subject became old 
enough to do hard work, he hired out 
to neighboring farmers, but finally de- 
cided to return to Kentucky, lie re- 
mained in that state two years. His em- 
ployer owned a store in Nashville. Tennes- 
see, and he worked aj that place for about a 
year, at the end of which time he was called 
back to Jasper county, his father having met 
with an accident. He then worked on the 
farm until December, [862, when he enlisted 

in the Forty-sixth Illinois Regiment, Com- 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



445 



pany F, Col. John J. Jones, commanding. 
At the close of the war he was mustered out 
at Baton Rouge, Louisiana, January 21, 
1866. After drawing his pay at Xew Orleans 
he returned home to Jasper county. The 
subject received a gunshot wound in the knee 
at Fort Blakely, Alabama. He participated 
in many battles, among them being at Yazoo 
City, Vicksburg, Meridian Hill, Champion's 
Hill, Jackson, seige of Richmond, Spanish 
Fort, and Fort Blakely. During these bat- 
tles his regiment was under command of 
General Sherman. In January, 1865, he was 
transferred under A. J. Smith, Fourteenth 
Corps, when he engaged in the battle of Mo- 
bile, and then moved to Dolphin Island to 
guard the gunboats, after which he went to 
Baton Rouge, where he remained until he 
was mustered out. 

After the death of the father of Mr. Stand- 
iford, in 1866, the wife and mother sold the 
farm, and lived with her children until her 
death. The subject is the third of seven chil- 
dren, all of whom grew to the years of ma- 
turity, and married, two of them now being 
dead. After the war, Mr. Standiford learned 
the milling business, and after five years 
returned to Kentucky, where he married 
Laura Ann Smith, March 14, 1871. He con- 
tinued in the milling business, operating 
large water mills for the parents of his wife. 
At the end of five years they removed to 
Arkansas, where he purchased a farm, upon 
which they remained for nine years, when 
they went to Macoupin county, Illinois, where 
Mr. Standiford took a position in a flour 
mill. His wife died February 26, 1881, 



aged forty-five years. Three children had 
been born to the couple, two girls and one 
boy, the latter dying in infancy. After the 
demise of his wife the subject engaged in 
the business of selling fruit trees in Southern 
Illinois and Missouri, which he continued 
for fifteen years. He finally settled in No- 
ble, Richland county, and after a residence 
there of three years moved to Dundas, Pres- 
ton township, where he married Mrs. Lottie 
McCarty (nee Evans), April 11, 1900, his 
bride being the widow of Robert S. McCar- 
ty, and daughter of Miller and Elizabeth 
(Hough) Evans. She was born in Ross 
county, Ohio, July 17. 1850, her father dying 
when she was eight years old. She had 
lived on the farm with her mother until her 
marriage to Robert S. McCarty, October 1 1 , 
1868, and as a result of this union there 
were four children. 

Although he had but three months' school- 
ing in Jasper county, in a log house where 
rough planks served for desks, and this in 
the days when if a pupil could write a fairly 
legible hand, he was considered eligible for 
the position of teacher, he accumulated much 
knowledge in after life, spending all of his 
leisure time while in the army learning to 
read and write. 

Mr. Standiford is a Republican and cast 
his first vote for Lincoln. He is a member 
of the Grand Army of the Republic, Post 449, 
Chesterfield, Illinois. He and his wife are 
both active members of the Methodist church 
in Dundas, both of them having been allied 
with this denomination for more than four 
decades. They are in comfortable circum- 



446 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



stances, owning- a pretty home, and lour lots 
in the town of Dundas. The subject draws 
a small pension. 



THK PAR OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 
SIXTY-FIVE YEARS AGO. 

James C. Allkn. 

At the request of the President and L.\- 
ecutive Committee of the State Bar Associa- 
tion of Illinois. 1 have attempted to prepare 
a paper in response to that request. 

In [844, while residing in another and 
adjoining state. I had occasion to visit some 
of the courts in what at that time was called 
the Wabash Circuit, and while attending 
some of their courts, formed definite im- 
pressions from what I heard and saw of its 
members while on these occasional visits. 
These impressions were much strengthened 
after I became a citizen of the state and a 
member of the Wabash Bar, from associa- 
tion with its members, in the courts and in 
social life. 

\lv first visit to an Illinois court was at 
Palestine, in Crawford county. 1 found the 
venerable justice. William Wilson, one of 
the Supreme Judges of [llinois, presiding 
over the Circuit Court, and found at the bar 
E. S. Janey and Augustus C. French, repre- 
senting the local bar. Wickliff Kitchell. the 
first local member of the bar. had a short 
time before that removed to the western 
part of the state I'. Ficklin. then of Mt. 



Cannel; Justin Harlan and Timothy R. 
Young, of the Clark county bar; Usher F. 
Linder, of Coles county, and Aaron Shaw, 
of Lawrence County, were in attendance on 
the court. These men were at that time re- 
garded as good lawyers and some of them 
as very able advocates. 

Of Judge Wilson, the presiding judge. I 
can only say that he impressed me as a man 
of sound judgment: well versed in law as it 
was written in the books; courteous to the 
members of the bar: possessing the fine so- 
cial qualtties-; always urbane and pleasant in 
In- bearing toward others. He drove to the 
buggy in which he traveled the circuit a 
white mule, to which he was somewhat at- 
tached, of the good qualities of which he 
often talked to his companions while passing 
from one court to another. Justin Harlan 
says that, while riding with him from Paris 
to Danville, the Judge, in speaking of the 
good qualities of his white mule, said one of 
its qualities was never to leave the beaten 
track over which it had once traveled, and 
no matter what inducement or obstruction 
might lie in the way. it never required any 
guidance. While thus discoursing on the 
subject, the mule, not feeling the power of 
the line and tempted by the green grass that 
grew on the roadside, left the beaten track 
and wandered some distance from the road, 
gathering as it went mouthsf ul of luxuriant 
grass. When the Judge's attention was 
called to the fact he attributed its dereliction 
in this regard to want of proper food the 
night before, arguing that a man, however 
honest, when hungry would sometime^ steal 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



447 



a meal. The Judge, while thoroughly 
equipped as a judicial officer, was somewhat 
deficient in his orthography, and many sto- 
ries were told by the clerks and bar as to his 
deficiency in this line in making entries in 
his docket. 

Justin Harlan, a native of Ohio, a sound 
lawyer, deeply versed in its elementary 
principles, while not an orator in the general 
acceptance of the term, possessed fine con- 
versational powers, and before court or jury 
was a formidable opponent. His sound 
judgment and personal qualities made him 
popular in the profession. After the consti- 
tution of 1848 was adopted he was elected 
to the circuit bench and filled that position 
for two full terms with great acceptance to 
the bar and the people of the Circuit, and 
only left the bench when age and increasing 
infirmities rendered it, in his opinion, proper 
to retire. 

Timothy R. Young, a native of New 
Hampshire, a citizen of Clark county, was 
a well educated lawyer and a man of much 
promise in his profession, but early in life 
he was elected to Congress from his district, 
and having great taste for the life of a 
farmer, at the end of his first term in Con- 
gress he left politics and the bar and became 
an "honest farmer". He lived till a good 
old age, more than four score years, and 
died respected and honored by all who knew 
him. 

E. S. Janey, a native of Alexandria. Vir- 
ginia, came to Crawford county and settled at 
Palestine shortly after the state was admitted 
into the Union. He was a gentleman of lib- 



eral education; well versed in the element- 
ary principles of the law; was twice elected 
to the General Assembly of the state from 
Crawford county. After several years of 
successful practice he quit the profession and 
turned his attention to farming. 

Augustus C. French, born in New Hamp- 
shire, came to Paris, Edgar county, and 
was shortly afterwards appointed Register of 
the land office at Palestine, and made that 
his home until later in life, when he removed 
to Lebanon that he might have the benefit 
of the college at that place for the education 
of his children. Mr. French was more of a 
politician than lawyer, and after a second 
term as Governor of the state he abandoned 
the practice of law, although he possessed 
qualities that well fitted him for the bar. 

Aaron Shaw, a native of the state of New 
York, came to Lawrenceville, Lawrence 
county, Illinois, shortly after the organiza- 
tion of the county. He was a fair lawyer 
in point of ability; was appointed and 
elected by the General Assembly. State's At- 
torney for the circuit, an office in which he 
exhibited great skill in the conduct of crimi- 
nal cases. He possessed a sharp and inci- 
sive voice, and became a "terror to evil- 
doers" while he held that office. He was 
twice elected to the House of Representa- 
tives of the state from his county ; one term 
on the circuit bench, and one term to the 
Congress of the United States from his dis- 
trict. While State's Attorney he accom- 
plished from a jury a verdict of "guilty" 
without a single witness upon the stand, a 
fact which is without parallel in modern 



448 



VPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



criminal jurisprudence. Upon a call of the 
people's witnesses, no one appeared; he then 
(.-ailed a jurj and read the indictment, and 
stated thai twenty-three grand jurors had 
sworn on their oaths that the prisoner was 
eruiltv and asked what was the use of intro- 
ducing further testimony. Defendant's 
counsel had nothing to say: the jury retired 
and returned a verdict of guilty, very much 
to the astonishment of the court and bar. It 
is useless to say that the verdict was prompt- 
I\ set aside by the court. Mr. Shaw had a 
share of civil practice on the circuit. 
He was a good financier; accumulated a 
nice property to leave to his family when he 
died. He was cordial with his friends, but 
rather unforgiving toward his enemies. 

Orlando B. Ficklin, a native of Kentucky, 
came to Wabash county and settled at Mt. 
Carmel, where he remained for several 
vears. Afterwards he located at Charles- 
ton, Coles county, where he spent the re- 
mainder of his life. He was, when 1 fust 

met him. in the prime of life and manli 1: 

a profound lawyer in the full tide of pro- 
nal success on the Wabash circuit, lie 

was a man of infinite humor and enjoyed the 
society of the judges and his associates a' 
the bar as well as that of his very general 
acquaintance outside his profession. His 
knowledge of the law and his knowledge oi 
human nature made him a successful law- 
yer. He was not only a good lawyer hut a 
politician of considerable note in the state. 
While quite young he was elected to the 
Legislature from Wabash county, lie was 
three times elected to < from his dis- 



trict, and might have remained there longer, 
but his taste and inclination led him back to 
the bar. lie was plain in speech, logical in 
argument, and at times, when amused, he 
exhibited great power over minds of courts 
and juries. lie had a host of friends, in- 
eluding all who knew him. except such as 
professional jealousy mighl alienate. In the 
later years of his life he consented to go to 
the Legislature from Coles county, and 
though age was telling on him. his last great 
speech in that body in seconding the nomi- 
nation of Gen. John (.'. Black for tin- of 
lice of I 'nited States Senator will be long 
remembered h\ those who had the pleasure 
of hearing it. He lived his four score years 
and died full of honors, to the regret oi all 
who had known him in his active and usetul 
life. 

I slier I'. Linder was a native of Kentucky, 
and a near relative of the celebrated John 
J. Hardin. He came to Charleston, Illinois, 
in the thirties, and practiced law in the 
Wabash circuit and courts of the state until 
a few years before he died, when he re- 
moved to Chicago, lie was a lawyer of fine 
ability and obtained a first class reputation 
as such in Southern Illinois. lie possessed 
two characteristics seldom found in the same 
individual, lie was both a wit and a hu- 
morist. When addressing the court on some 
controverted question of law he was clear. 
logical and forcible. He was imaginative, 
and when inclined, was wonderful in tropes 

and figures; was an adept in posing and 
facial expression, could be ridiculous or sub- 
lime, as moved by the spirit within. He pos- 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



449 



sessed a musical voice and could play upon 
the passions and emotions of a jury or an 
audience at his pleasure. As an orator, I 
think he excelled any member of the bar in 
Eastern Illinois in his time. He was all this 
when his surroundings were agreeable, but 
he had some failings that often destroyed 
the effect of his speeches. O. B. Ficklin. who 
knew him as well, perhaps, as any other 
man, once said of him : "That if it were not 
for his personal vanity and want of moral 
courage he would have been the greatest 
man in Illinois". An attack upon either his 
personal habits or arguments would render 
him for the time being helpless and incap- 
able of parrying the blows. He was a Whig 
in politics while that party was in existence, 
then for a time became a Free Lance, but 
eventually allied himself with the Demo- 
cratic party. He was twice elected to the 
General Assembly of Illinois and was an 
active member in that body. He died at his 
home in Chicago after more than half a cen- 
tury of active professional life. 

In the summer of 1845 I had occasion to 
visit Mt. Carmel while the Circuit Court was 
in session. I found a young man who had 
located in Alt. Carmel, a graduate of a 
Maryland college. Charles H. Constable, a 
rising young lawyer, who afterwards be- 
came an important factor at the bar of 
Southern Illinois. He was a young gentle- 
man of pleasing manners with a highly cul- 
tivated mind and fine social qualities, of sober 
and industrious habits, as I judged from the 
preparation of his cases in that court. He 
afterwards acquired a good reputation on 
29 



the circuit as a safe counselor and an able 
advocate. Modest and unassuming in his 
demeanor, he became popular with his 
brother lawyers. In 1849 he left Mt. Car- 
mel and took up his residence at Marshall, 
Clark county. He attended all of the courts 
of his circuit, as was the custom of that time 
with members of the bar, and in 1859 was 
elected to the Circuit bench, where he pre- 
sided until his death. His character for 
honesty and integrity was unimpeachable, 
and, possessing a judicial mind, he was a 
very popular judge, but he was stricken 
down in the midst of his usefulness before 
age came to impair his powers. 

While at the Wabash court I met and 
made the acquaintance of Battice Webb, of 
Carmi, a Virginian by birth, a man then in 
the prime of life and enjoying in his circuit 
a lucrative practice. His father had been a 
noted lawyer of Southern Illinois. I was im- 
pressed with the idea that the son had a bril- 
liant future before him, judging from his 
gentlemanly bearing and his evidently pro- 
found knowledge of the law, but he lived 
but a short time thereafter, and died la- 
mented by all who were fortunate enough to 
have made his acquaintance. 

In the fall of 1845 I had occasion to visit 
Greenup, then the county seat of Cumber- 
land county. Circuit Court was in session in 
a little school-house in the south part of the 
village. Judge Wilson still presiding. I met 
Alfred Kitchell, a son of Wickliff Kitchell. 
a former Attorney General of the state. Al- 
fred Kitchell was a graduate of the law 
school at Bloomington. Indiana. He lo- 



45" 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCEN1 HISTORY OF 



rated at ( Hney shortly after the village i now 
city) was adopted as the countj seat. He 
had succeeded Judge Aaron Shaw as State's 
Attorne) onthecircuit He made a vigor- 
ous prosecutor. His belief in the necessity 
of enforcing the law and his observance of 
the ethics of the profession rendered him 
popular with the courts and the people, lie 
was elected for a term to the Circuit bench, 
but refused a re-election, preferring to re- 
turn to the bar, having extensive property 
interests in and around Olney. He did much 
for the improvemenl of the county seat. 
Much to the regret of the people of Olney 
and vicinitv. lie sold his possessions in that 
place- and located at Knoxville, fllinois, 
where he resided until his death in 1869. 
much respected and honored. 

\t this same term id' court I met a law- 
yer from Springfield, who had been called 
to defend a man indicted for "an assaull to 
kill." When 1 entered the court-room the 
the evidence had just been concluded and 

the State'- Attorney was opening the argu- 
ment for the prosecution. After its conclu- 
sion a gentleman of angular build arose to 

address the jury on behalf of the defendant. 
I le had an earnest look in his face, hut I was 
nol impressed with his opening remarks. 
Later he seemed to gather up his mental 
force, and I listened with interest to his 
plain, common sense argument. He was not 
eloquent, hut evidently knew how to touch 
the chords that move the hearts of the av- 
erage juror, and when he concluded 1 felt 
thai he was no common man. Upon inquir- 
ing I learned that it was Abraham Lincoln, 



whose fame afterwards reached the boun- 
daries of the civilized world, and who tell a 
martyr to his love of country and of human 
rights. 

I have thus given a brief sketch of the 
prominent members of the bar ot the Wa- 
bash Circuil in 1 S44-5 from tirst impres- 
sions, as well as a more extensive acquaint- 
ance after 1 became a member of this bar in 
1S47. After this 1 made the acquaintance 
of a number of prominent members of the 
bar throughout Southern Illinois, of whom 
i cannot give notice in this article on ac- 
count of its length. 



GEORGE C. WILSON. 

The day of the pioneer in this country is 
gone, and we are in the midst of a settled 
stability and permanency. Nevertheless, as 
we look about us. we find a few represen- 
tatives of the early days, who become at 
once the center of interest because they 
carrv in their minds recollections of our 
hardy forefathers. In this connection we 
make reference to one of the sturdy farm- 
ers of this county. George C. Wilson. This 
gentleman was horn in Pike county. Ohio, 
on November 9, [840, being the son of 
Samuel and Eliza (Foster) Wilson, the 
former having been horn on April 15. 1804, 
and the latter 0,1 the 17th of May, 1806 
The other children of the family were 
John, horn August 10. [828; Richard. DOIT 

August is. [831; Harriet, horn February 
12, [833; Rachel, horn May 5. [836; Sa 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



451 



rah, born July 18, 1838; George, our sub- 
ject ; Tilton and Thornton, twins, born 
May 2-, 1843: Margaret, born September 
20. 1846. 

In 1842 the family removed to Illinois, 
where George was married October 20, 
1864, to Mary J. Leckrone. the daughter 
of Mathias and Julia (Johnson) Leckrone, 
the former having been born in Fayette 
county, Pennsylvania, June 18, 181 5, and 
the latter in Licking county, Ohio. Janu- 
ary 24, 1821. The following list gives the 
children of the Leckrone family : William, 
born November 10. 1838; Mary J., Decem- 
ber, 1840: John. May 1. 1843; Harvey. 
August 29, 1847, born in Illinois; Sarah, 
January 25, 1852; George. July 30. 1861. 
Mr. and Mrs. Wilson have become the 
parents of the following children : Theo- 
dore Edgar, a teacher, and who is now an 
acting Justice of the Peace, was married to a 
Miss Appleman; Samuel M., married to 
Myrtle Maxfield ; Harry E. married Louise 
See, and is now practicing medicine at Cen- 
tralia, Illinois ; Frank O. married Carrie 
Coombs and is now filling the pulpit of the 
Methodist church at Bunker Hill ; two 
children, Harvey and Emma, are deceased. 

Mr. Wilson has followed farming all his 
life and has been not only successful but 
progressive as well. He has taken good 
care of himself in every way, never having 
used tobacco or liquors in any form. Look- 
ing back over the vista of his years he often 
speaks of the little log cabin of his early 
days and the pioneer experiences of the 
times. A precious as well as interesting 
family relic in this home is a chair made in 



1846 by his father, who was a tanner. The 
bottom is made of calf-skin, sewed with 
whang, and the leather is as good as new 
today. Mrs. Wilson takes pleasure also in 
bringing out a china plate given to her by 
her mother upon her marriage to Mr. Wil- 
son. Those were the days of the loom and 
the spinning wheel, and the old wheel now 
set aside as a family treasure was kept busy 
for many a year by the skillful hands of 
Mrs. Wilson herself. She spun all the 
clothing for the men, and has today a quilt 
of three colors, red, white and blue, spun 
by her own hands. There was no need in 
those days for schools of manual training, 
as each household was a school in itself, 
and one not excelled by the later day insti- 
tutions. No roads nor bridges were in es- 
istence at that time, and experiences with 
all kinds of wild game were quite common. 
Wild forests and untilled land occupied the 
places where the neighboring towns now 
stand, and Mr. Wilson speaks of the time 
when he had to go to Salem to vote. Doctor 
Wilson, brother of our subject, at one time 
hauled his oats to St. Louis and sold them 
for fifteen cents per bushel. 

Mr. Wilson adheres to the tenets of the 
Republican party, and together with his 
wife, affiliates with the Methodist church. 



GEORGE MADDEN. 



Mr. Madden is one of the veterans left to 
us who, in the stormy and turbulent days 
of the Civil war. participated in Sherman's 



45-' 



BIOGRAPHICAL AM) REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



famous march to the sea; and this was but 
an evenl m themilitarj p irtion ol his career. 

At the close of the Civil war, mi obtaining a 
creditable discharge, he settled down and 
began his career as a farmer, in which sphere 
he has attained prosperity and no little recog- 
nition in public life. 

George Madden* of Richland county, 1 'res- 
ton township, was born July 25, 1842, on a 
farm near Ashland, Ohio. lie was the son 
of John Thomas and Mary (Poff) Madden, 
1'emiM -Ramans, who came with their par- 
ents t. 1 ( )hio when quite young. John Thomas 
Madden was the eldest child of his parents' 
family. He remained with his parents Oil 
their Ohio farm until his marriage to Mary, 
the daughter of George and Mrs. 1'off. his 
marriage occurring sometime about 1834. Lie 
then moved to several small place- near Ash- 
land, where he worked at his trade of shoe- 
maker. In the fall of 1S44 he came to Illi- 
nois 111 search of land. Here he settled upon 
eighty acres, or rather took them as a squat- 
ter's claim and started in to improve the 
spot. 1 low e\ er, another party rode into Pal- 
estine and registered the land as his hold- 
ing, which John T. Madden had failed to 
do. lie thereby ' >st the farm and the im- 
provements made thereon. In the course oi 
the three or four following years he bought 
- Mi, Sugar Prairie in Richland 
county 1 Madison township). Here he re- 
mained and his family came to join him the 
following spring. The journey, as were all 
the journeys of the period, was made over- 

'1, and the usual trials and hardships at- 
tendant upon long land journeys encoun- 



tered. The land on Sugar Prairie was in its 

primitive condition. John T. Madden started 
in to erect a log house and log stable and en- 
closed the place with fences. At this period 
the elder brother of the subject of our sketch 
hauled all the rail for fencing with a yoke of 
cattle. John T. Madden meanwhile worked 
at his trade of shoemaking, having his shop 
on the farm, leaving his oils to do the farm- 
work. John T. Madden remained here until 
the death of his wife, which event occurred 
in the fall of 1S7O. at the age of sixty-five 
years. She is buried in Richland cemetery. 
In time the farm was well improved, and 
good buildings erected. 

George Madden remained at home with 
his brothers, helping his father until his 
twentieth year, when the Civil war br< tke out. 
The military enthusiasm of the period seized 
him and in the fall of 1S61 lie enlisted in the 
Sixty-third Illinois Regiment. Company L, 
under the command of Captain John Craig. 
He was firsl sent to Jackson. Tennessee. 
where he remained but a short time, hurriedly 
breaking camp to march on Vicksburg, but 
the rebels had cut off supplies, and the Un- 
ion army retreated, returning to Memphis, 
Tennessee. In Memphis he remained with 
ultory fighting and marching were indulged 
the troops till spring, when once more des- 
in. I le served all thru >ugh the seige of Vicks- 
burg, Missionary Ridge, Atlanta, and other 
engagements, with much bravery, lie not 
only followed the valiant Sherman to the sea 
but marched with him back to Washington, 
where they got a memorable reception. Ill 
also attended the grand review of the sol- 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



453 



dirs at Washington in 1865, and was mus- 
tered out of the service at Louisville, Ken- 
tucky, going from there to Springfield, Illi- 
nois, where he received an honorable dis- 
charge about a month later, on the 21st day 
of July. 1865. having served three years 
and eight months of valiant military serv- 
ice. He had the good fortune never to have 
been wounded in all that eventful time. 

At this time George Madden returned to 
the family farmstead where he remained up 
to the time of his marriage. Later in life 
his father sold the family farm and lived 
a retired life and dying in March, 1884, at the 
age of seventy-five. George Madclen's moth- 
er's death had occurred previously. As stat- 
ed before, she was the daughter of George 
and Mrs. Poff, natives of Pennsylvania. They 
both died in Richland county, Illinois, where 
they had lived (Madison township). George 
Poff reached the age of eighty, and his wife 
died about the same age. They are laid to 
rest at Parkersburg cemetery, Richland 
county. Illinois. 

George Madden was the fourth of a family 
of seven boys and one girl, all of whom 
grew to maturity with the exception of one 
boy, aged fifteen years. He married on 
June 14. 1866, Mary Jane Coons, in Richland 
county. She was a native of Kentucky, 
where she was born December 19. 1846. Her 
parents originally belonged to that state. Her 
mother died in Kentucky at the age of forty- 
four when she was but twelve years of age. 
Her father then came to Illinois, but after- 
wards returned to Kentucky, where he died 
in 1902, at the age of eighty-four years, hav- 



ing been born February 14, 1818. Her 
mother (deceased) was born December 20, 
1814. 

At the time of his marriage George Mad- 
den settled on a farm of one hundred and one 
acres, all timber, east of Parkersburg. He 
paid twelve dollars an acre for this land. 
Here he built a house and cleared about fif- 
teen acres when he sold the place and rented 
farms for several years and following the oc- 
cupation of threshing for several seasons. In 
1885 he bought fifty-six acres in Preston 
township where he settled and where his 
wife died on December 4, 1899, at the age 
of fifty-three years. Mrs. Madden bore her 
husband one child, Annie Lou, who is now 
the wife of William L. Murry, and resides 
upon the home place with her father and hus- 
band. 

George Madden attended the subscription 
schools as a boy and later the common 
schools. Owing to the heavy work done on 
the farm for his father he did not have a very 
great opportunity to advance very far in his 
studies. He was. however, attending school 
at the period he volunteered for service in 
the Civil war. In the religious realm he has 
always been a practical worker. In his 
younger days he attended the Methodist 
church, but now, and for many years, he 
has been a member of the New Light 
branch of the Christian church. A marked 
characteristic of his family and himself has 
been their activity in church affairs. He 
was ordained a deacon of his communion 
eighteen years ago. a position he still holds. 

In politics he has taken somewhat of an 



454 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND KF.M IN 1SCF.NT HISTORY OF 



active pari at various times in his township 
and county. I te held the office of Township 
Trustee in Madison township, Richland 
county, for three terms. On his being elected 
to office for another period if three years, he 
served hut two, as he removed out of the 
township, lie is a Republican and a firm 
believer in the efficacy of his party. He has 
also been a member of the Knights of Pyth- 
ias of the Olney lodge. 

Mr. Madden In 'Ids an honored place in the 
prosperous community in which he resides. 



HARRISON UMFLEET. 

Among the native burn residents of Rich- 
land county who have reached a well-mer- 
ited success we must certainly include the 
name of Harrison Umfleet. He is now ap- 
proaching his eightieth year and has been 
prosperous in his agricultural calling. Few 
men are better known in this township and 
county than he. Honesty and fair dealing 
have been his watchwords, and these twin 
virtues have been personified in his active 
life. 

Harrison I mfleet was born on < >ctober26, 
[829, in Richland county, or as it was then 
known, Lawrence county. His family lived 
in the vicinity of Claremont. 1 le was the son 
of Seth and Rebecca Umfleet, his mother'-; 
maiden name being Cummings, a daughter 
of Daniel and (Durman) Cum- 
mings. UN father was born in North Caro- 
ind his mother in Kentucky, her birth 
occurring in 1810. His father came with his 



parents from North Carolina to Kentucky in 
the year [815, in which state they settled on a 
farm. 1 1 ere he remained with his parents 
until he married Rebecca Cummings, Febru- 
ary 4, [827. They then went to farming for 
themselves, and in [828, moved to Lawrence 
county, [llinois, making the long journey 
on horseback and ferrying the Ohio and Wa- 
bash rivers. He did not sell his farm on 
leaving Kentucky, possibly for the reason 
that he regarded his journey as a tentative 
one. Seth Umfleet first entered forty acres 
near Sumner on government license, paying 
one dollar and twenty-five cents an acre for 
it. It was all prairie land at the time. He, 
however, quickly set to work and erected a 
log house and stable and a rail fence on the 
settlement. At the time he was possessor of 
only one horse and it was much of a draw- 
back to him. In order to draw the rails he 
hitched his horse to a sled and loaded three 
rails on at a time, carrying another on his 
shoulder, during the building of the fence. 
At the same time he was busy in another oc- 
cupation. Hetaught country school in Clare- 
mont township at the same time. When Har- 
rison I'mllcet was hut an infant his parents 
returned to Kentucky on a visit to his grand- 
parents, making the journey once more on 
In irseback. It was then a had time for such a 
journey, being late in the fall of 1829. They 
returned to Illinois again in the early winter 
of 1830, where they farmed in Claremont 
township. Soon afterwards they sold the 
place and moved into Lawrence county, buy- 
ing forty acres on state road. Here they 
remained live or six years when they moved 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



455 



to South Sumner, which was their home un- 
til 1865. whereupon they again moved, this 
time to OIney, Illinois. Here the family re- 
mained until the death of Mrs. Seth Umfleet, 
in the fall of 1871, at the age of sixty-one 
years. Seth Cmfleet married again, secondly 
a widow Truskett, and Harrison Umfleet 
lived near his father until his death in Feb- 
ruary, 1892, at the age of eighty-seven years. 

Harrison's mother was the daughter of 
Daniel and Mrs. Kilhurn, both natives of 
Kentucky, where they died on a farm near 
Crab Orchard. Her mother died when she 
was but ten years of age and her father sur- 
vived for many years, eventually dying in 
Kentucky at a period after she had married. 

The subject of our sketch remained at 
home with his parents, helping and assisting 
them in their daily round of work, until his 
marriage to Martha Elston, on April 3, 
1853. His wife was the daughter of Martha 
and Lucy Elston, her mother's name being 
Cropper. They were natives of Kentucky, 
who had moved from there to Ohio, where 
Martha was born on June 10, 1837. At an 
early age she removed with her parents to 
Richland county, Illinois, where her father 
died at the age of seventy-nine, after he had 
survived her mother who died at the age of 
fifty-seven years on February 1, 1858; her 
father's death occurring in the fall of 1879. 
Mrs. Umfleet remained with her parents up 
to the time of her marriage in 1853. She 
was the seventh in order of birth of ten chil- 
dren who all grew to maturity. One of her 
brothers participated in the Civil war. 

Harrison Umfleet was the second in order 



of birth of a family of four children, all 
cf whom grew to maturity. His oldest broth- 
er, James Fountain, served in the Mexican 
war under the gallant General Taylor ( well 
known as "Old Rough-and-Ready"), for 
about three or four years and was never 
wounded in any encounter. 

When Harrison Umfleet married in 1853 
he moved onto a forty-acre farm in Law- 
rence county, inherited from his father, and 
lived on it until 1804, when he sold the place 
and bought two hundred acres in Preston 
township, Richland county, for which he paid 
six dollars an acre. This is the spot 011 
which he and his wife now live. He has pros- 
pered in his farming business and has greatly 
improved the farmstead. The land is mostly 
all under cultivation, an improved type of 
buildings have been erected, and fencing and 
other improvements have been carried out 
upon the property. He and his wife are now 
living on the place, having retired from active 
work. He has divided up some of his land 
among his children, but yet has one hundred 
acres in his possession. This is being taken 
care of by one of his sons, who. with his 
youngest sister, lives upon the place with 
their parents. 

Harrison Umfleet obtained his early edu- 
cation during his attendance at the sub- 
scription schools in Lawrence county. Owing 
to the conditions prevalent in those days he 
was not able to attain very much in the educa- 
tional way. although his younger brother 
Benjamin went very far in that line. He 
taught school for years in Richland and 
Lawrence county, and served through the 



450 



HIOGRArilKAl. AND REM 1 MSCF-XT HISTORY OF 



greater pan of the Civil war. On enlisting 
a second time he was assigned t<> a pist in 
the Christian Commission. 

To I [arrison Umfleet ami his wife six chil- 
dren have been born, namdj : nine. Lucy. 
\\ illiam. Seth, Matthew and Rebecca. All 
married with the exception of Rebecca, wh i 
is the youngest, lie ami his wife have led 
a married lite of singular happiness, and 
their sons and daughters have always heen a 
source of much gratification to them. 

Harrison I'mlleet has played an active part 
in county ami township politics. In the old 
regime Ins father and elder brother belonged 
to the Whig- party. He is himself a Repub- 
lican and a loyal supporter of his party. John 
('. Fremont was the first Presidential candi- 
date he recorded his vote for. He has heen 
for several tenm a School Trustee and as a 
School Director and he has heen also road 
overseer for mam terms. 

Practical religious work has heen one of 
the characteristics of Harrison I'mlleet ami 
his family, being staunch believers in the 
Bible and church work. Though he him- 
favors the Baptist communion, his wife 
ami children are members of the Christian 
church and work actively fur its expansion. 



FREDERICK SEILER. 

This land id" ours i twes a debl of gratitude 
to the stalwart ami hardy European races 
whose sons came in large numbers in the 
early "twenties" and "thirties" when there 



was a crying need of fearless men to assist 
in the work of winning the western siaics 
from their primitive wildness. The people 
of Switzerland w In i came at that time formed 
a gin idly contingent and numbered in their 

ranks the present subject of our sketch and 

his parents. 

Frederick Seiler. son of Olrich and Anna 

Seiler. was born on the 15th of December. 
[830, in Switzerland. In [852, his parents, 
his brother John, and himself, bidding adieu 
to the Fatherland, sailed for the United 
Slates. Upon landing they settled in Illi- 
nois, and the subject of this biography 1 81 
no time in getting down to the work of mak- 
ing a living. For some time he worked as a 
farm hand on different farms, covering corn 
with a hoe fur twenty-five cents a daj and 
board. He also helped his brother for some 
tune, assisting him in his trade as carpenter. 
For this work he received fifty cents per da\ 
and Ins board. He again returned to farm 
\\i irk. He next became an employe of the old 
Ohio & Mississippi Railroad (now the Balti- 
more & Ohio) where his rate of wages was 
one dollar and twenty-five cents per day am! 
board. Here his industry and frugal habits 
permitted him to save some three hundred 
dollars, which enabled him to make his first 
start in life 011 his own account. In Angus 1 .. 
[856, he married Mrs. Barbara Biber (rue 
Friedley I, in I 'resti mi ti iw nship. She w as the 
daughter of Lawrence ami Barbara Friedley, 
be mother's maiden name being Stingley. 
Like her husband, Mrs. Frederick Seiler was 
In in May 30, [830, in Switzerland, coming 
fn mi there to the I "uitcd States u ith her par- 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



457 



ents when but thirteen years of age. The 
family settled near Mansfield, Ohio, upon a 
farm, where they remained for twelve years. 
In 1848. she (Barbara Friedley) married 
Caleb Biber, remaining in Ohio till May, 
1852. when, together with her husband and 
her parents she came to Richland county, 
Illinois, the journey being made overland 
in wagons. In Richland county, they settled 
on a farm of one hundred acres, obtaining 
same from government at one dollar and 
twenty-five cents an acre. Caleb Biber died in 
1854, having had two children born to him, 
namely : Mary and Lawrence. Mrs. Sed- 
er's parents died on the farm, her father in 
1 86 1 and her mother in 1864. 

On his marriage Frederick Seiler settled in 
1856 upon his wife's farm of two hundred 
acres, where they lived for about ten years, 
when Frederick Seiler much improved the 
property, building a house, etc., on forty 
acres adjoining which he now lives, which he 
had previously bought. The family then 
moved into the new home where they lived 
until 1902, when they moved to Dundas, 
where they lived until the death of Mrs. Fred- 
erick Seiler in 1904. at the age of seventy- 
four. She closed a happy married life and is 
buried in Preston township in the Lutheran 
church cemetery. 

In this short period up to 1904, Frederick 
Seiler had acquired altogether two hun- 
dred acres of very choice land, one hundred 
and sixty acres of this being mostly tim- 
ber, sixty-five was cleared and cultivated. In 
the early days wild deer and other game ex- 
isted in large quantities in the township ; har- 



rassing wolves and wildcats infested the tim 
ber. 

Eight children were born to Frederick 
Seiler and his wife, seven of whom grew to 
maturity and one died in infancy. Their 
names are: Frederick PL, lives on a farm in 
Oklahoma ; John F. lives on the home farm 
in Preston township : Lucy D. is in Pennsyl- 
vania and is the wife of a Presbyterian min- 
ister: Christian R. lives in Evansville, Indi- 
ana, where he has been for twenty vears ; 
Louise E. lives at Newton, Illinois. Henry 
E. and Charles are both deceased. 

Frederick Seiler, on the death of his first 
wife, remarried. July 26, 1906, his second 
wife being Mrs. Sadie Austin (nee Crane), 
the widow of James Austin. She was born 
in 1843, at Bridgeport. Lawrence count}". 
Illinois, and was the daughter of Ishmael and 
Mrs. Crane. They were Easterners, the 
father being born in New York and the 
mother in New Jersey. Frederick Seder's 
second wife had one daughter. Laura (Aus- 
tin) Hollingsworth, by her first husband: 
Mrs. Hollingsworth lives in Ohio. The sec 
ond Mrs. Seiler died in Sumner. Illinois. Feb- 
inary 1 1, 1907, and was buried in the county 
cemetery southeast of Bridgeport, where her 
parents were also buried. 

The subject of our sketch received a good 
education in the canton in which he lived in 
Switzerland, and it may surprise many to 
learn that at that early time the laws of the 
country compelled all children up to the age 
of sixteen to attend school for the period 
of eleven months in each year. He is well 
versed in the German language and his early 



458 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 






training has been of much advantage to him. 
As he was n >t tall enough in his youth in 
Switzerland to drill as a soldier, according 
in the constitution of the country he sin mid 
have paid the sum of one dollar and serve a 
conscriptive term in the- home guards. He 
was able to evade this law through coming 
i i the I halted State-. 

In politics Frederick Seiler lias been a con- 
sistent Democrat. At one period of his life, 
however; he voted the Prohibition ticket dur- 
ing the McKinley administration. In his 
younger days he was very active in the town 
ship and county political affair-. For a period 
of twenty years he was a School Trustee of 
the township, lie was also formerly active 
m fraternal and social affair-, being at one- 
time a member of the Grange lodge in 
Dundas, Preston township, lie is a mem- 
bes of the Lutheran Evangelical church. 
lie has himself taken a very active part in 
church work during the twenty-four years 
he has been connected with it. He was for 
twenty year- or oxer an elder in the church. 
His wife during her long life belonged to 
the German Reformed communion. 

Frederick Seller is now in his seventy- 
ninth year and is enjoying the fruits of a 
verj successful though arduous life. Start- 
ing life and making it a success in a new 
country, the language and customs of which 
Foreign to him. was not an easy task. 
lb- has been through the mill, he suffered 
many hard-1 d many privation- at 

the beginning of Ins career, he has been for 
many years a prosperous farmer. He has 
reared a large and intelligent family, and 



now in his retirement the memory of those 
early year- of struggle makes his leisure 
years all the more appreciable. 



RICHARD WILSON. 

Among the many industries carried on 
in our country there is none that calls for 
more intelligent judgment than that of 
farming. One of the most successful men 
in the business in Marion county is Rich- 
ard Wilson, who was born in Clark county. 
Ohio, on the l8th day of January. 1831. 
His father, Samuel Wilson, a native of 
Pike county. Ohio, was born in 1804, while 
his mother, F.liza (Foster) Wilson, also a 
native of Ohio, was born in 1806. Sam- 
uel Wilson was the father of nine children. 
of whom our subject, Richard, was the sec- 
ond in order of birth. This family removed 
to Marion county, Illinois, in 1842. where 
Mr. Wilson departed this life on December 
20. 1847. He was survived by his wife 
until 1900. 

Richard received his early education in 
the district school of the neighborhood, and 
upon reaching manhood chose fanning as 
his occupation in life. In 1856 he was 
married to Rebecca A. Fulton, who was 
born in Marion county, Illinois, in 1837. 
Ten children graced this union, five boys 
and live skirls. Letitia A. married James 
Roberts, and was the mother of six chil- 
dren. Seth C. married Irma Chapman, of 
Michigan, and i- the father of one child. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



459 



Samuel A. is the husband of Florence Bar- 
num, a cousin of P. T. Barnum of world- 
wide circus fame. He is the father of four 
children. Sarah E. married Pack Parcell, 
and is the mother of eight children. Wil- 
liam T. married Ella Wagner, their union 
being blessed with four children. Maggie 
is the wife of Charles Spencer, to whom 
have been born four children : Carrie be- 
came the wife of Mason Weerns ; Charles 
R. is deceased; John D. married Nellie 
Custer, who is related to the brave General 
Custer, being a cousin of the same, and 
they are the parents of one child. Mary 
P. was joined in marriage to Elmer E. 
Spencer, and they have a family of three 
children, one died in 1907. 

The task of raising such a large family 
was not a light one, but Mr. and Mrs. Wil- 
son have demonstrated their ability to meet 
the requirements most successfully. The 
home life has been of the most congenial 
and wholesome sort, and the recollections 
of the family hearth stone are cherished as 
one of the most precious heritages by all of 
the children. The religious atmosphere of 
the family was never found wanting, the 
affiliations being with the Methodist church. 

Mr. Wilson was for three years school 
trustee, and discharged the duties of his 
office in an economic and intelligent way. 
He owns and manages his farm of one hun- 
dred and twenty acres and has given some 
attention to the raising of good horses. In 
both of these projects he has met with sin- 
gular success. 

Mr. Wilson has been a life-long Repub- 



lican, his father and grandfather before 
him having been adherents to the tenets of 
the Whig party. Mr. Wilson still takes an 
active interest in the political and civic 
affairs of the neighborhood, but does not 
consider himself bound to support any 
party to the sacrifice of principle, a fact for 
which he is to be most heartih* commended. 



JOHN TAYLOR KERMICLE. 

Although his opportunities to procure 
the thorough education for which he so ar- 
dently yearned were limited the subject of 
this sketch has been exceptionally success- 
ful in the battle of life, and he is today 
known as one of the most substantial citi- 
zens of Preston township, Richland county, 
Illinois. The entire career of John Taylor 
Kermicle has been characterized by indus- 
try, and a determination to overcome all 
obstacles in his efforts to make his way in 
the world. 

Mr. Kermicle is a product of the fair 
state of Kentucky, having been born in La 
Rue county, December 17, 1846. His par- 
ents were Samuel and Mary (Trainor) 
Kermicle. His father was born in Mary- 
land, and his mother at Rock Bridge coun- 
ty, Virginia, January 30. 1800. Samuel 
Kermicle, father of the subject, moved to 
Kentucky with his parents when quite a 
small boy, and they settled on a small farm, 
where he died in November, 1855. Short- 
ly after the death of his father, the sub- 



4<H' 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



jed and liis mother moved to Richland 
county. They made the trip by wagon u> 
Louisville, from there they crossed on the 
feny to New Albany, Indiana, thence by 
rail by way of Grceneastle to Yincennes, 
where they changed cars to the Ohio & Mis- 
si— ippi Railway, which is now the Haiti- 
more & Ohio Southwestern. This road 
carried them to Olney, Illinois. Two older 
brothers of the subject had prior to that 
located in Richland county, and the newly 
arrived travelers made their home with 
them. Mr. Kermicle's mother died Novem- 
ber, TS74. having attained the age of sev- 
enty-four years and ten months. 

When eighteen years old. Mr. Kermicle. 
who was then living with a brother in Pres- 
ton township, made arrangements with a 
neighbor to work land on shares, the agree- 
ment being that he should he furnished 
with all the necessary agricultural imple- 
ments and receive one-third of the crop as 
his share, for his labor. This agreement 
lasted for two years, and during this period 
the subject plowed most of the ground 
Upon which now stands the town of Wesl 
Liberty. 1 luring the three years following 
the termination of this agreement, he 
worked on shares with an older brother. 

On September 28, 1869, Mr. Kermicle 
was married to Sarah C. Xerkcl. Imme- 
diately after his marriage he rented a farm, 
known now as the Fred Schilt place, con- 
taining one hundred and sixty acre- lie 
remained there three years when he pur- 
chased sixty acres in PrestOh township, dis- 

posing of the same, however, within twelve 



months. His next venture was the pur- 
chase of the land upon which he now lives, 
which consists of two hundred and ninety- 
six acres, of which eighty acres was the 
original amount first purchased, and fof 
which the price paid was ten dollars per 
acre, and which now averages a value ol 
fifty dollars ]>er acre. 

The subject is the youngest of nine chil- 
dren, only five growing to maturity. His 
wife was born October 12. 1847, in Clark 
county. Ohio. She is the daughter of Noah 
and Martha ( Foltz) Zerkel. both of whom 
were natives of Virginia, but left there 
when mere children. They were married 
in Clark county in 1845. and remained there 
eighteen years, when they removed to Rich- 
land county, Illinois, making the trip in a 
wagon and encountering many difficulties 
on account of the bad condition of the 
roads They purchased one hundred and 
eighty acres east of Dundas, Preston town- 
ship, paying twenty-two dollars per acre 
for a well improved farm. They remained 
here for eighl years, at the end of which 
time they purchased a farm in Clay county. 
where tin- husband remained until his death, 
which occurred July 14, i88<). when he was 
in the sixty-ninth year of his age. The 
mother survived him main- years, she dying 
October 24. K)o8. at the age of eighty-one. 

To Mr. Kermicle and his wife nine chil- 
dren have been born, one having died in its 
infancy. They are. Perry. Aden, Rosella. 
Warren. Delia. Levina. Edgar and Olive, 
all married except Edgar. 

The subject of this sketch attended one 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



46 r 



term of three months of subscription 
school in Kentucky, and was a pupil in the 
free school at Dundas for a short time. Mr. 
Kermicle believes in the principles of the 
Democratic party, and has always been an 
active worker in that political organization. 
He has held the office of Township Clerk, 
Assessor, Supervisor and has been High- 
way Commissioner for fifteen years. He 
has held office in the township altogether 
about twenty-two years. 

The subject is a member of the Baptist 
church, and is very faithful in his -attend- 
ance upon sendees. 



MRS. MARY A. SEYMOUR. 

The subject of our sketch is one of those 
brave women who gave so much help to 
their husbands and brothers during the 
early days of the settling of our counties, 
and in the dread days of the Civil war when 
gloom and danger seemed for awhile to 
settle upon our land. She is still able to 
bear her seventy-five years comfortably and 
enjoy the little spell of peaceful retirement 
which is but a fitting accompaniment to her 
life of activity and good work. 

Mrs. Mary A. (Tade) Seymour was 
born in Withe county, Virginia, on May 
24, 1833. and was the daughter of James 
and Catherine (Hines) Tade. Her father 
was a native of Kentucky, and her mother, 
born November 28, 1812, was a Virginian. 
Her father, who had come to Virginia, 



married there in 1832, and her parents re- 
turned to Kentucky when she was but five 
months old. In Kentucky her father 
bought a farm in Montgomery county, 
where they lived until about 1841. Her 
father's death occurred in 1839, being killed 
while on a steamboat near New Orleans. 
Two years later her mother married Joseph 
Tade, a brother of our subject's father, the 
marriage taking place in March, 1841. 
The family then migrated overland in 
wagons to Illinois, the trip requiring five 
weeks. In Illinois they located in Richland 
county ( then known as Lawrence county) ; 
Richland county not yet being laid off. 
Here our subject's mother and stepfather 
purchased a farm of three hundred acres, 
partly under fence, paying three hundred 
dollars for same. On the land there was a 
small log house in which they continued to 
reside for many years. There was also a 
log stable originally on the property. The 
land was at once improved and cultivated, 
and after a residence upon it of forty years 
they left Claremont township, in which the 
farm was situated, and bought forty acres 
of land in German township with the pro- 
ceeds of the sale of their former farm. 
Here they remained for several years, when 
they removed to Liberty, Jasper county, II- 
nois, where our subject's step-father died 
in December, 1880, at the age of ninety- 
two. He is buried in Stoltz cemetery. Ger- 
man township. Her mother survived for 
several years, finally dying at our subject's 
home in German township on December 
29, 1906, at the ripe age of ninety-four 



I''-' 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



years, one month and one day. She is also 
buried in Stoltz cemetery. Our subject's 
parents had four children, of whom she was 
the eldest. Her mother by her second mar- 
riage raised six children. There are only 
four members of both families now living. 

Mary A. (Tade) Seymour remained al 
In pine with her mother and stepfather until 
her eighteenth year when she married 
lames T. Seymour, the ceremony taking 
place nn October ->->. [852, in Richland 
county. He was born October 1. [826, in 
Lincoln county, Ohio, and was the son of 
Isaac and Sarah (Sproll) Seymour. Isaac 
Seymour was a native Ohioan, his father 
coming from England and his mother from 
Ireland. James T. Seymour came to Il- 
linois in the spring of [852, from his native 
Ohio. He was followed by his parents, 
who came to the state in the following Fall. 
They lived in Richland county for one year, 
then buying a farm in Lawrence county. 
where they remained until their death-. 
Hi- mother died first, at the age of sixty- 
three: his father surviving her about three 
years, his death occurring at the age "i 
sixty-six. Thej are both buried in Wag- 
ner cemetery. Lawrence county. Eighl 
children were horn to them, one of whom 
died in childhood. James T. Seymour was 
the eldest member of his parents' family. 

( >n their marriage Mary A. (Tade) 
Seymour and her husband in 1852, settled 
on the farm on which she now resides, and 
which contains forty acres, in German 
township. They paid the governmenl price 
of one dollar and twenty five cents per acre 



for the land, which was all raw and unim- 
proved. It comprised tall prairie-grass and 
ha/el thickets and was the last forty acres 
remaining unentered in Richland county. 
They immediately set about clearing and 
improving the place and built a small log 
house in which they lived for four years. 
They then built a small frame house which 
burned down a few years later. After- 
wards they erected the house in which 
Mary A. Seymour now lives; it was built 
about the year 1872. 

When the Civil war broke out her hus- 
band enlisted in July. 1861. The Illinois 
regiments heing of the required strength 
at the time, he was placed in Company E. 
of tlie Eleventh Missouri Regiment, under 
command of Capt. John Blue. lie served 
the three-year term of enlistment returning 
home in [864, having been mustered out of 
service in St. Louis. Missouri. During his 
term of service he was never wounded nor 
taken prisoner. At one period he was con- 
fined to the hospital at Jefferson barracks 
on account of sickness. On his becoming 
convalescent he was ordered to attend to 
the other sick patients which he did until 
he was able once more to rejoin his regi- 
ment. He served 111 the Western Division 
under General Sherman though he was not 
with him at the time of the march to the 
sea as he was not in service. During the 
campaign lie served in the Red River ex- 
pedition, the siege of Vicksburg, battle of 
Missionary Ridge, and many others of the 
hard fought and principal battles of the 
war. and also endured many long and hard 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



463 



marches. Though he was never wounded 
he became badly broken in health on ac- 
count of the hardships of the years of i860- 
1865. 

While her husband was in the army, the 
subject of our sketch remained on the farm 
with her children. Trying to run the farm, 
performing all the work entailed thereby, 
and caring for herself and her small chil- 
dren, she suffered much hardship. On his 
return home he resumed work with his wife 
and family on the farm. His death took 
place on March 12. 1907. at the age of 
about eighty years. He is interred in Wag- 
ner cemetery in Lawrence county, Illinois. 

Mrs. Man - A. (Tade) Seymour is the 
mother of the following children : Mor- 
timer S., Isaac C. and John W. are liv- 
ing. Sarah Catherine and Joseph, both 
deceased, are buried in Wagner cemetery. 
Mortimer, married and is living in Craw- 
ford county, on a farm. Isaac is married 
and resides at West York, Crawford coun- 
ty. John is also married and lives on a 
farm near his mother in German township. 

Mrs. Seymour obtained a good educa- 
tion, considering the educational facilities 
of the time of her youth, in the subscrip- 
tion schools in Richland county, Illinois, 
having attended school at intervals from 
her ninth until her sixteenth year. The 
common free schools did not come into ex- 
istence until she was eighteen years old. 
Notwithstanding this she was enabled to 
obtain much information in the subscrip- 
tion schools. 

James T. Seymour was a member of the 



Whig party up to the time of the Civil 
war: from that time onward he was a Re- 
publican. He was School Director for 
several years, but never held any other pub- 
lic office as he never cared for public recog- 
nition. He was a member of the Grand 
Army of the Republic, the John Liddle 
Post, No. 745, at Chancy, Illinois. He and 
his wife and the members of their family 
all belonged to the Methodist Episcopal 
church in German township. Mrs. Sev- 
mour has been a class leader in the Metho- 
dist Episcopal church for several years, and 
was for three years superintendent of the 
Sunday school. Her husband was a good, 
religious man and a steward of the church 
for several years. 

Mrs. Man- A. Sevmour is now living 1 a 
happy life of retirement on the farm which 
the labors of herself and her devoted hus- 
band made one of the best improved in 
German township. 



JEROME N. EMBSER. 

One of the most up-to-date and intelli- 
gently managed farms in the county is that 
belonging to the subject of this review, 
Jerome N. Embser, who was born on May 
23, 1869. in Luzerne county. Pennsylvania. 
His father, Francis Embser. was born on 
April 22, 1833, in Prussia. Germany. His 
experiences would form an interesting 
story if taken up in detail. Before coining 
to America all the family except Francis 



4<'4 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



and one brother tell victims to the dreaded 
plague that swept over Europe at that time. 
Having survived this, the next problem 
that fared the boys was the service in the 
regular army. On account of its position 
and the hostility of the surrounding na- 
tions. Germany is compelled to maintain an 
extensive military system. This involves a 
great expense and causes a steady drain on 
the resources of the people. Not only that, 
hut it makes it necessary for the govern- 
ment to require military service from all of 
its male population. Hence all able bodied 
men must enter the national service, most 
of them fur a term of at least three years. 
X.) one is exempted except for physical in- 
capacity. As the time approached for 
Francis to enroll in the regular army he 
began to dread the prospects and tried to 
bethink himself of some plan by which he 
might avoid this protracted confinement to 
the life of the soldier. Fortunately for him, 
he had an uncle who was captain of a ves- 
sel that plied between Germany and Amer- 
ica. It was to him that Francis made 
known his desires, the result being that 
plans were made to smuggle the boy 
through. This was carefully arranged and 
successfully carried out, and after six- 
weeks of sailing on the Atlantic, he arrived 
at Xew Y< irk. 

Before leaving the Fatherland he had 
red his apprentice p - a shoemaker, 
and upon coming to America he continued 
his work in that capacity. After going to 
Pennsylvania, he took up farming in con- 
nection with his trade, and continued thus 



to combine his work even after he came to 
Marion county, Illinois. He soon became 
well known as a man of superior intelli- 
gence and an excellent workman, and ere 
long the neighbors made it a point to bring 
their repairing to Mr. Embser, at his shop 
on the farm, and to spend the evenings in 
such discussions and diversions as would 
spontaneously spring up in their midst. 
Every one for miles came to know and love 
"< >ld Frank Embser". He was not a be- 
liever in orthodox religion, and ended his 
days in this county, in [905. 

Jerome Embser's mother. Elizabeth 
(Driesbaugh) Embser. was born in Penn- 
sylvania and is still living. Her father. 
John 1). Driesbaugh. was a prominent citi- 
zen in western Pennsylvania, was the owner 
of several flour mills, located on streams in 
order to utilize the running water for power 
purposes. Her mother's name was Katie 
Shoop. 

.Mr. Embser joined in marriage Jessie 
X. Spiese, daughter of Wilfred and Alice 
1 Beaton) Spiese, to whom have been born 
five children, namely: Alice E., Francis 
\\\. John T., Anton J., and Leon. 

Mr. Embser's education was limited to 
that of the common schools of the neigh- 
borhood, hut he learned early in life to be 
self-reliant and industrious, and as he ad- 
vanced in years he applied these traits to 
his daily life, with the result that he has a 
most excellent country homestead, a mag 
nificent farm, and an intelligent family. 
He has the full confidence of neighbors and 
Friends, having been asked to serve his 



RICHLAND. CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES. ILLINOIS. 



465 



community as Township Treasurer, High- 
wax - Commissioner and School Trustee. In 
all of these duties he has shown himself an 
able manager and a man of unimpeachable 
integrity. 



HISTORY OF ST. JAMES LUTHER- 
AN CHURCH. 

As far as known. Reverend Seacrist was 
the first Lutheran minister who preached the 
gospel to the scattered Lutherans in Rich- 
land count}'. Illinois. He was succeeded by 
Rev. Daniel Scherer. who labored faithful- 
ly among the people, preaching the Gospel 
and administering the sacraments. His 
field, however, being so large he called his 
son, Jacob, from Gettysburg to his assist- 
ance, who preached at Olney and various 
other places in the county. 

Services in this neighborhood were first 
held in David Phillip's barn. In 1842 St. 
James congregation was organized, and in 
1844 a hewn log church was erected in the 
northeast corner of Olney township, about 
one and one-fourth miles from the present 
house 1 if worship. This log church is still 
in a fair state of preservation. 

Rev. Gottlieb Lauener became minister 
in 1852. and Rev. Conrad Kuhl in 1856. 
Rev. William Hunderdose and Rev. G. 
Berwick supplied the congregation. In 
1858 Reverend Abele became pastor and 
labored a few years for them, until 1859, 

In 1860 Rev. D. D. Schwartz and in 
1861 Rev. Killiam Earth preacher for 



them. In 1862 Reverend Schnur took 
charge and continued as pastor until 1867, 
when a serious difficulty having arisen in 
the congregation in regard to the propriety 
of holding protracted meetings and some 
other things he. with thirty-five members, 
withdrew from the congregation and 
formed another church more in accord to 
their views. They built a church only a 
mile from the St. James. They continued 
to hold services for several years. But from 
some cause or other the congregation has 
become extinct and the church edifice has 
been sold and is in Claremont used as a 
warehouse by a grain dealer. 

It was during the time that Reverend 
Schnur was pastor that the St. James 
church and the one near Olney united by 
general agreement and consent, determined 
to build a new house of worship, as the log 
church was too small. .After some delay on 
account of a disagreement about the site, a 
new frame structure was erected on the 
present site in 1863. This was made pos- 
sible through the zeal of the members who 
donated timber and labor. The timbers 
were hewn poles and the plastering laths 
were split out by hand. The finishing lum- 
ber was brought from Alt. Carmel. Illinois, 
a distance of thirty miles. It was also dur- 
ing Reverend Schnur's pastorate that the 
congregation secured an acre of ground 
near the church and erected a two-story 
house for a parsonage. After Reverend 
Schnur resigned. Reverend Harkey was 
called as pastor in 1867, and continued to 
serve them until his death in 1875. It was 






I. RAPHICAL AND REMINISCEN1 HISTORY OF 



while he was pastor that the congregation 
made application to the Indiana Synod, now 

cago Synod, and were received as mem 
bers of that body in 1S74. Reverend Har- 
key was also received. He with the con- 
gregation had formerly belonged to the 
Lutheran Synod of Illinois. While Rever 
end Harkey was pastor, Trinity church. 
1 iter, and Si. James, Formed one 

pastorate. But after his death, the Lane; 
ter church withdrew and joined the central 
synod of Illinois. The congregation was 
vacant now until March. 1X711. when R< 
erend Laner became pastor and served until 
December 29, (878, when he resigned and 
they were without pastoral care until Ke\ 

nd Hursh, Versailles, Ohio, was called 
and became pastor in [880 He continued 
to serve them until [894, when he became 
disabled on account of old age and disease. 
During his service the congregation con- 
tinued to prosper spiritually. The preach- 
ing was held in both German and English 
language, but the German was discontin- 
ued at the end of his pastorate. In 1882, 
on account of crop failure, the congregation 
wa ed from the payment of their ap- 

portionment, and were also granted <n< 
hundred dollars this year as a supplement 
to their pastor's -alary. This was petitio 
ed for h\ tl 1 negation. Reverend 

Hursh continued to live in the parsonage 
until hi- death in 1897. In [896, Rev. J. 
M. <i. Sappenfield began to supply the St. 

lames church in connection with Union, 
Gila, Illinois. He o ed as supply until 

he wa- called and became regular pastor in 



[901, being installed that same year by the 

president of the synod Rev. M. L. Wagner. 

The congregation at it- annual meeting 

■ Mi \e\\ Year's day. [904, decided t" erect 

a new church. A building committee was 
chosen, consisting of G. I lanes. \\\ Hanes, 
J. P. Xanders, Frederick Scherer and Ca- 
leb BUSS. The pastor was made chairman 

(if the committee. A soliciting committee, 
consisting of the trustees, J. Mosser, Levi 

Phillips and (harks Stangel, were cllOSi 
to secure the necessary funds and II. 
Burgener and Edward Buss, a committee 
in get donations. The plan was drawn up 
1>\ the pastor for a building, the audience- 
room thirty by fifty and Sunday scl 1 room 

sixteen by thirty feet, the windows to he 
Gothic, and ceiling t" he arched in the audi- 
ence rix mi : a pulpit recess in the north end. 
the main entrance t<> he in the tower. But 
before the building was begun the pastor 
was taken away by death and also G. 
I lanes, one of the building committee. The 
congregation now set about to secure an- 
other pastor. A call was extended n> Rev. 
J. V. Sappenfield, residing at Corydon, In- 
diana, a son of their late lamented pastor, 
in March. [904. He accepted the call and 
entered Upon the work in May. [904. 

I In congregation now determined tn be- 
gin theerection of thechurch. Specificati 
were made according tn the plans of the 
former pastor, and the contract for the erec- 
tion of the building was let to John Beck, 
a member of the church. < hi September i-'. 
miij. the old church was turn down and 
the erection of the new church began on 



RICHLAND. CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



467 



the same site. The corner stone was laid 
by the president of synod, Rev. H. Peters, 
of Decatur, Illinois, assisted by Rev. J. 
Knauer and the pastor, on October 23. 

1904. On Christmas morning. 1904. the 
first services were held and it has been used 
ever since. The church was finished in May, 

1905, and dedicated October 22. 1905. The 
furniture consists of lecturn, pulpit, pews, 
organ and chairs for Sunday school. 

The pastor, Rev. J. V. Sappenfield, re- 
signed and left the field in December, 1906, 
leaving the congregation vacant until 
March. T90S. when Rev. John Knauer was 
called, who is now in charge of the field, 
and also serves Gila and Wheeler. Illinois. 



REV. JOHN KNAUER. 

Enjoying marked prestige among the 
clergy of Southern Illinois, the subject of 
this sketch stands out a clear and distinct 
figure among the useful men of Richland 
county, characterized by breadth of wisdom 
and strong individuality. Rev. Knauer's 
achievements but represent the utilization 
of innate talent, in directing effort along 
lines in which mature judgment, rare dis- 
crimination and resourcefulness that hesi- 
tates at no opposition, has caused him to 
succeed in the accomplishment of much 
good in his line of work. Having always led 
a life along such planes of sobriety, indus- 
try and integrity he has become one of the 
most influential men in his community 



whose interests he has at heart and whose 
moral, educational and material develop- 
ment he ever seeks to promulgate, thereby 
winning and retaining the undivided esteem 
of all who know him. 

Rev. John Knauer. pastor of St. James 
Lutheran church in Claremont township, 
Richland count}'. Illinois, was born April 
25, 1873. in Wuerttenberg, Germany, the 
son of Gottlieb and Jacobin (Stipe) 
Knauer: the father died in Germany Octo- 
ber 21. 1S74, and is buried in Hohenhaslach 
place, in the district Yaihingen, having died 
when forty-eight years old. 

In the year 1887. the subject of this 
sketch, then fourteen years old, with his 
mother and three sisters emigrated to the 
United States and settled on a farm in 
Washington county. Pennsylvania, where 
our subject remained with his mother, 
working on the farm until the fall of 1895. 
when he went to Carthage, Missouri, where 
he took a high school course under tutorship 
of an older brother, who had previously come 
to the United States, having been accom- 
panied bv two other brothers and one sister. 
In the fall of 1896 John Knauer entered 
the Washington-Jefferson College at Wash- 
ington, Pennsylvania, taking a four years' 
course, and in the fall of 190T he entered 
the Theological Seminary in Chicago. He 
made a splendid record in school and he en- 
tered upon his pastorate at Gila charge. Jas- 
per county. Illinois, after his graduation in 
the last named school in the spring of 1904, 
having begun his pastorate work on May 1, 
1904, and on June 30th following he was 



,..s 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



married in Wheeling, West Virginia, to 
Hope Kenamond, who was born near 
Washington, Pennsylvania, October i>. 
[878. She is the daughtet of Frederick 
and Elzena (Shipe) Kenamond, both na- 
tive- of Pennsylvania, in which state they 
were married, hut later moved to West Vir- 
ginia, when Mrs. Knauer was nine years of 
I lev parents remained in that state 
about four years when the family returned 
to Pennsylvania, settling this time near 
Claysville, where they bought a farm upon 
which they lived for three years when they 
again removed n> West Virginia, where 
Mr. and Mrs. Kenamond still reside on a 
farm. They are the parents of live children, 
all of whom are -till living, the wife of our 
subjeel hem- the oldest in order of birth. 

John Knauer is a member of a family of 
eight children, he and a twin sister being 
the youngest. They are all living at this 
writing. The mother of these children is 
-till living on the old homestead in Wash 
ington county, Pennsylvania, near Bur- 

tstown, having reached the age of sev- 
enty-four year-. 

Rev. and Mrs. Knauer reside in the par- 
SOnage of the Lutheran church in Clare- 
mont township, Richland county, where the 
subject performs the duties .if pastor, also 
preaches al < rila and \\ heeler, in Jasper 
ity, Illin 

No children have been born to Mr. and 
Mrs. Knauer. 

Our subject is making a great success of 
his work in this place and he and his es- 
timable wife are held in high favor by the 



congregation and all who know them. He 
and his wife are highly educated and they 
are both diligent workers in the cause of the 
lowlj Nazarene, and the) arc apparently 
justl) fitted for so responsible work, for 
they are broad-minded and ever have the 
good of their congregation at heart. 



I MOM \S M. II \\«;\< WE. 

I he subject nf this review 1- one of the 
sturdy spirits who has contributed largely 
to the material welfare of the township in 
which he resides, being a farmer ami Stock 
raiser, and as a citizen, public-spirited and 
progressive in all the terms imply. For a 
number of years he has been actively iden- 
tified with the agricultural interests of the 
county. He represents that class of earn- 
est, foreign born citizens, who have done 
-.1 much for the development of the United 
Stati-s. while at the same time they have 
ited themselves in a very material man- 
ner. 

Thomas M.Hargrave was bom in Eng- 
land October 20, [851, and was ten years 
old when he came to \merica with his 
father and onl) brother, George, who now 
lives in Fayette county, [llinois, is married 
and the father of five children. 

1 hir subject received his early education 

iu the common schools of this country, but 
leaving school when sixteen years of age he 
did not have the opportunity to take a high 
course, hut is. notwithstanding this fact, a 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



469 



well educated man. having always 1 been a 
close observer and an extensive reader, 
keeping well posted on current events at all 
times. 

Mr. Hargrave has won his way to a po- 
sition of prominence and comparative 
affluence in his community by reason of his 
own individual efforts. Starting life with 
but little means, he has succeeded admir- 
ably well and is today the owner of a fine 
farm consisting of one hundred and sixty 
acres, all under an excellent system of 
fencing and a high state of cultivation, for 
he understands well the proper rotation of 
crops so as to preserve the natural quality 
of the soil and the many other methods 
known to up-to-date farmers. His farm is 
located in Kinmundy township, and it ranks 
well with the other excellent farms of this 
community. He has a number of good 
horses and herds of other stock, besides 
much good poultry, in fact he carries on a 
general farming and stock raising industry 
with that discretion and industry which al- 
ways insures ultimate success. Mr. Har- 
grave has a comfortable, well furnished 
and substantial residence, which is neatly 
kept, and it is surrounded by a sufficient 
number of convenient out buildings. 

When twenty-five years old Mr. Har- 
grave was united in manage with Anna 
McHatton. the representative of an excel- 
lent family, and she passed to her rest when 
forty-four years old. Our subject has four 
children, all boys, namely: John. Emmett. 
Harry and Roy. The first two named are 
both married. Emmett lives in Alma town- 



ship on a good farm, and is the father of 
one son. John, who is employed on the Il- 
linois Central Railroad, lives in Clinton. 
Illinois. Mrs. Hargrave was one of a fam- 
ily of three children. She was a member 
of the Methodist Episcopal church. 

Our subject has always taken a great in- 
terest in the affairs of his children, and 
has spared no pains in assisting them in 
life's struggle. 

Mr. Hargrave is a man of com- 
manding personal appearance, easy in 
disposition, courteous in manner, and 
possessing a large social nature and 
is regarded by all his neighbors as 
a most excellent citizen. He believes in 
good government and honorable citizen- 
ship. He was raised by Methodist parents 
and consequently is a believer in the funda- 
mental principles of Christianity. In his 
political relations he is a stanch Republican. 



CHARLES EDWARD PALMER. 

Having been born and '•eared in Noble 
township, Richland count}', Illinois, and 
since reaching manhood's estate identified 
with some of the most important business 
interests of that community, it is not 
strange that Charles Edward Palmer should 
be widely and favorably known within the 
confines of the territory in question. His 
career has been marked with success at al- 
most every turn, and he certainly is an ex- 
ample worthy of emulation by the young 



4/0 



BIOGRAPHK M Wl> REMINISCEN1 HISTORY OF 



men of today, who would embark upon the 
sea of commercialism. Perseverance coup 
led with energy and brains lias placed him 
in an enviable position in the business 

Wl Till. 

Charles Edward Palmer was born in 
\. ible ti >w nship, < let >ber i (., [859. 1 Hs 
father was Janus F. Palmer, bom in 
\ii county, Ohio, in [829, while the 
mother was Maria ( '. Danbury, also a na- 
me of the Buckeye state, having been born 
there in [833. Their deaths were not far 
apart, the husband passing away in 1893, 
and the wife and mother two yc-ars later. 
The fathei of the subjeel was .1 graduate 
of tin- Eclectic Medical Institute of Cincin- 
nati, and in [856, rode horseback from 
Ohio to his future home in Noble township. 
His wife followed .1 year afterwards on the 
Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern Railroad. 
which had just been completed. The grand- 
father of the subjeel was .1 soldier in the 
War of [812; his paternal grandmother 
was a niece of the Revolutionary General 
Stark, while his uncle, Jacob A. I 'aimer. 
did valiant service throughout the Civil 
war. 

Mr. I 'aimer was educated in the public 
schools, and when quite young began to 

read law. Later he entered the insurance 
business, and also took part ill politics, final- 
ly being elected Supervisor of Noble town 

ship. While discharging the duties of this 

office he was instrumental in having the 

county board appoint ,111 expert accountant 
I- check up the accounts of die county offi 

cers. lie eventually became an expert ac- 



countant himself, and investigated the 
I ks of other counties, serving in that ca- 
pacity for eighl years. In [899 he con 
ceived and organized the mercantile linn 

mer & Company, and this concern has 
forged to the front with remarkable rapid- 
ity, carrying an immense stock of dry 
goods, furniture, stoves, hardware and ag- 
ricultural implements. In connection with 
this concern the firm operates a concrete 
block factory, and an evaporator. Mr. 
Palmer is the president and general man- 
ager of tin- establishment, and is also vice- 
president of the hank of Noble. lie 
wedded in [882 to Mollie U. 1'hilhower. 
ami this alliance resulted in the birth of 
two children, one of whom died when ipiile 
young. The other. Beulah May I 'aimer. 
became the wife of a prominent contractor 
of ( )lney, Illinois. 

Mr. rainier is a Mason, an Odd Fellow, 

Red Man, and a member of the Modern 

W linen of \merica. lie ha- Eor years 

been more or less prominent in politics, be- 
ing an adherent of the Independent party. 
When the Spanish-American war broke out 
he raised a company, and was made cap- 
tain thereof. They reported to Colonel 
Pittenger, at Centralia, and the company, 
although placed on the list, was never called 

out. 

Hie wife of the subjeel was the child of 
Ira B. ami Adeline 1 Smith) Philhower, of 
Clermonl county. Ohio, who removed to Il- 
linois in [854, and purchased .1 farm in 
Noble township. Mr. Philhower was for 
eighl years station agent at tuka, Illinois. 



RICHLAND. CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES II LINOIS. 



471 



At the end of that time lie returned to 
Noble township, and worked a- a miller. 
after which he hecame a merchant. He 
was a member of the Methodist church, and 
for vears served on the School Board. 



BARTLETT Y. W ATKINS. 

A great essay written mice said that 
"when one has given the best that is in him 
i" a work, he experiences a feeling of sat- 
isfaction." While this statement may seem 
rather broad yet a greater truth than this 
was never spoken. Whether one is success 
fill or not in what one undertakes if he 
realizes that nothing on his part has heen 
left undone, he should have no regrets. This 
does not mean that the unsuccessful person 
feels just as good over defeat as the suc- 
cessful over victory. When one does his 
hest and is successful he has a double rea- 
-on to he happy. To this class belongs Mr. 
Watkins. for he did his hest and has suc- 
ceeded. 

Bartlett Y. Watkins was horn near Ashe- 
ville. North Carolina. July 20. [842. His 
parents were good old Southern people. 
The father. Jame> G. Watkins. was horn in 
North Carolina, while the mother. Mary 1). 
(Patterson) Watkins. was a native of Vir- 
ginia. To this union were horn eight chil- 
, dren of whom Bartlett was the oldest. On 
his mother's side he was of Irish and Her- 
man descent, while on his father's side his 
ancestors were English and Welsh. 



When Bartlett was ten years <>ld the t'am- 
il\ came north to live in Richland county, 
Illinois. Here the lather died November 
>). 1 872, ainl the mother died eleven year- 
later in Christian county. Illinois 

The family being poor it was necessary 
for Bartlett to leave school with just a com- 
mon school education, hut this he made the 
most of After leaving school he tx 
working on the farm which occupation he 
has followed all his life. At the ag 
twenty-two years he was married to Eliza- 
beth Lawless, daughter of Hiram and Cath- 
arine (Holden) Lawless, who had moved 
to Richland county from Highland county. 
« >hio. 

To Mr. and Mr-. Watkins were horn 
twelve children. Five boys and three girls 
are living, four of the children dying in in- 
fancy. The other eight are all living in 
Richland county, with the exception of 
Laura, wife of James R. Brown, a mechanic 
living at Evansville. Indiana. Nancy Jane 
is the wife of Ed. Stage, a farmer of Noble 
township; Lora, the other daughter, is the 
wife of Parker Bolby, a farmer of Olney 
township. 

The hoy- are all married: Olis. with his 
family, is living on the home farm which 
he cultivates; Commodore D. and Edmond 
T.. farmers, live in Noble township. Wil- 
liam F.. the only son who lias not followed 
the occupation of the father, is a machinist 
living at Olney: Oliver I!., i- also a ma- 
chinist at Olney. 

Mr. Watkins was a member of Company 
E. of the Thirteenth Illinois Cavalry in the 



47- 



BIOGRAPHICAL \\ I > kl M I \ l-< K\ I HISTORY OF 



War of the Rebellion, He saw little active 
service, however, for he was discharged on 
November 27, [862, because of his physical 
condition. He returned to Richland county 
and November 22, 1864, the marriage of 
which we have alreadj spoken took plao 
In [887 Mr. Watkins, by hard, horn 
labor had accumulated enough to buy a 
comfortable little home, a farm of one hun- 
dred and 1'' iur acres. 

He farmed in a general way and 
quite successful. During his long life he 
never allied himself with any church, but 
his wife was a member of the Christian 
church, and he attended the Blaine church 
with her. 

Politicall) Mr. Watkins was a Demo 
crat, 1 >nt having never aspired to office, he 
took no active part in politics. 



( \l'l. WILLIAM T. JOHNSON. 

There ran he no greater honor or privi- 
lege than to conscientiously serve one's coun- 
try during its 'lays of peril. It requires 
something more than patriotic zeal for a 
to Forsake home, business, the pleasures 
of social or public life and voluntarily 
snnie the hardships of the camp and the 
field, much less risk one's life in the brunt 
of battle, and the younger generation of to- 
day are apt to not give the respect due the 
brave "boys in blue" who saved the nation's 
integrity and who did so much for them. 
The subject of this sketch is one of those 



whose name is to be found on the scroll of 
hi mor in this o mnection. 

(apt. William T. Johnson was born in 
Scott count_\, Indiana. I >ctober 29, 1841, the 
son of Stephen and l.evina (Williams) 
Johnson, the former having been born in 
Lexington. Indiana, in 1815 when Lexing- 
ton was the count) seat of Scott county. The 
subject's paternal grandfather secured land 
in -Scott county just as the Indians were 
leaving there. Elijah English also secured 
land nearby at the same time, which land 
is owned at present by (apt. W. E. English, 
of Indianapolis. The father of the subject 
was a cabinetmaker, a preacher and a farm- 
er, and quite a prominent man of that time. 
He was a great admirer of Millard Fillmore. 
He turned to the Republican party late in 
life, but never sought political office. He 
was called to his rest in 1870. Levina Wil- 
liams Johnson, mother of our subject, was 
born in the memorable year of 1812. Her 
uncle was an Indian lighter for many years 
and was with Lewis and Clark in their raid 
through Indiana. Her uncle's name appears 
on a mi inument in the West w here the last 
raid was made on the Indians in the battle 
of Tippecanoe. She had four brothers and 
four sisters. The parents of the subject mar- 
ried in 1835. Eight children were born to 
them, all living at this writing, namely: 
Sarah. William T., our subject; Caroline. 
John and David, twins; Martha, Mary and 
James. 

The subject's paternal grandfather was a 
"minute man" under Washington. 

William T. Johnson was educated in the 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



473 



public schools of his native community. 
However, his schooling was somewhat lim- 
ited. He worked about the home place un- 
til the time he enlisted in the army. He 
came to Marion county, Illinois, in 1870, to 
engage in farming and has lived in Patoka 
township ever since. He was for several 
years in the dairy and stock raising business, 
having made a pronounced success of what- 
ever he undertook, being a man of great in- 
dustry and rare soundness of judgment. He 
always kept his farm in first class condition 
and it was well tilled and produced excel- 
lent crops. For the past eleven years Mr. 
Johnson has lived in quiet retirement in a 
beautiful and comfortable home in Vernon. 

Mr. Johnson was first married to Saman- 
tha Gray in the year 1866. There are no liv- 
ing children from this union. Mr. John- 
son's second wife was Addie Gray, daugh- 
ter of Thomas and Amanda (Carroll) Gray. 
Amanda Carroll was a distant relative of 
Charles Carroll, one of the signers of the 
Declaration of Independence. The second 
wife of Mr. Johnson was the fifth child in 
a family of twelve. One girl and one boy 
have been born to the subject and wife : Tina, 
who married Warren Murfin : Biness, the 
son. is single and living at home. 

As intimated above our subject was one 
of the gallat defenders of the flag during 
the dark days of the sixties, having enlisted 
in 1861 in Company C, Thirty-Eighth Indi- 
ana Volunteer Infantry, under command of 
Colonel Schribner, and was sent at once to 
General Sherman's command. Walter Q. 
Gresham was in line with the subject as a 



private at the organization of the regiment. 
He engaged in a skirmish lasting thirty 
days before the battle of Stone River, in 
which great battle our subject was wounded. 
At the battle of Chickamauga our subject 
was under the command of Colonel Thomas 
in the One Hundred and Forty-Ninth Regi- 
ment. He was captured at Chickamauga and 
sent to Libby prison for six months, but he 
was one of the six men who dug out of that 
prison and escaped. Twenty men made the 
effort, but the others failed. They worked 
in relays of five men and tunnelled under 
the wall from the basement of the old ware- 
house where they were confined. They had 
nothing but an old chisel to work with. 
Those who escaped were, beside our sub- 
ject, Charles Vaughn, Thomas A. Morrison, 
Alex Lorington, T. McVey and D. Laporte. 
The_\- spent seventeen days and nights dig- 
ging their way to freedom. The subject 
was thirty-six days and nights getting back 
to the Union lines. He remained in hiding 
during the day and traveled at night. He 
came out of the army in October, 1865, a 
captain and acting adjutant at the time. He 
is said by his comrades to have been a most 
gallant soldier and never flinched from duty. 

Our subject was captain of Company D. 
in Pittinger's Provisional Regiment, dur- 
ing the Spanish-American war. 

The above is a record of which anyone . 
should be proud. Captain Johnson has been 
Justice of the Peace since living in Vernon 
and his court has been a popular one, his 
decisions being fair on all matters submitted 
to him. He is a loyal Republican and is 



474 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



known to all classes for his honesty, in- 
tegrity, public spirit and good natured per- 
sonality, which makes him one of the must 
highlj esteemed men in Patoka township. 



JOHN WILLI \.\1 PFLAUM. 

Inheriting the thrifty and frugal habits 
of a sturdy German father and mother, who 
many yen- ago left the shores of the Fa- 
therland I" seek their fortune in the new 
world, it is little wonder that the subject of 
this sketch has won his spurs in the battle 
life. The people of Noble township, 
Richland county. Illinois, have known him 

boy and man. and as his dealings with 
his fellow beings have always been honor- 
able the) repose in him the most implicit 
confidence, as his election to township 
offices on different occasions would amply 
demi mstrate. 

John William Pflaum was born in Meigs 
county, Ohio, March 31, [855, his parents 
being Valentine and Elizabeth (Hartman) 
I'tlaum. both of them having- been horn 111 
Baden, Germany. Shortly after their mar- 
riage in [85] they came to this country, 
and settled in Meigs count). Ohio, from 
which place they removed to Noble town- 
ship in [873, being in the eighteenth year 
oi his age. Mr. Pflaum began purchasing 
land in small tracts until he had accumulated 
nine hundred acres, the greater portion of 
which he eventually had under a high state 
of cultivation. 



The subjeel of tin-- -ketch was married 
to Cordelia Rexrout in [886. She was 
horn in Russell county. Kentucky. August 
i-'. [867. Their children are Bertha, wife 
oi Alfred Woods, who lives on a farm 
with her hit-hand near the home of her 
parents; Ralph, Flossie and Raymond. 
Ralph and Flossie are twins, and the latter 
1- married to a prosperous farmer of the 
neighborhood bj the name of John Ireland, 
while Raymond and Eva live al the home 
of their parents. All of the members of 
the family, except Ralph, are members of 
the 1 hurch of Christ, and take a greal deal 
of interesl in the affairs of their denomina- 
tion. When he attained his majority the 
subject of this sketch cast his lot with the 
Republican party, and he remain- Stead- 
fast to the same. He has for some years 
been a member of the Modern Woodmen 
of America. 

Mr. Pflaum take- great pride in the 
appearance of his well cultivated farm 
of one hundred and fifty acres, from which 
he raises abundant crop-. || j- ; , public 
spirited citizen in every sense of the word. 
and takes an active interest iii the affairs 
• if Noble township, lie has twice held 
office, having been Collector and. Road Su- 
pervisor. 



Jl )11X BOWER. 



Prominent among the men of Noble 
township, Richland county, who have at- 
tained a competence through their individ- 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



475 



ual efforts is John Bower, fruit grower and 
farmer. Despite his years, for lie is near- 
ing the sixty-ninth milestone. Air. Bower 
is an active man, and gives close personal 
attention to his business. He has spent al- 
most a half a century in the community in 
which he now resides, and holds a high 
place in the estimation of his neighbors, 
whi> know him as a man of probity anil in- 
tegrity. He is of German parentage. 

.Mr. Bower was born in Ross coun- 
ty. Ohio, April to, 1840. and came to 
Richland county, Illinois, in March, 1865. 
His parents, Robert and Geneva Bower, 
were born in Germany. For seven years 
the father of the subject served in the Ger- 
man army, and was with Blucher in the 
famous battles of Leipsic and Waterloo. 
He was wounded twice in these engage- 
ments, receiving a sabre thrust and a bullet 
in the leg. He was the father of eleven 
children, John being the tenth in the order 
or birth. 

John Bower was married twice, his first 
wife being Catherine Martin, daughter of 
Joseph Martin, of Clermont county, Ohio. 
This alliance was contracted January 21, 
1864. and as a result thereof the following 
children were born: Clara, died in infancy; 
Flora is a missionary in Forida; Louis J., 
a resident of British Columbia ; Ella is in 
St. Louis: Charles lives with his parents. 
Mr. Bower's first wife died May 9, 1880. 
It was two years later when the subject 
took unto himself a second help-mate in 
the person of Jemima Hammet, daughter 
of William and Rebecca Hammet. who 



came to Olney township from Clerrni mt 
county. Ohio, with her parents when a 
little girl. Five children were the fruits of 
this union, two of them dying in infancy. 
Of the survivors Bessie is a teacher at 
Cerro Gordo, Piatt county, Illinois, while 
Hazel and Paul are at home. 

In his early youth Air. Bower attended 
the country schools, and when he had com- 
pleted his course there, evinced such a great 
desire to continue his studies that oik- of 
his brothers loaned him sufficient money to 
enable him to attend college in Missouri, 
where he remained for some time. The 
subject learned the trade of stone cutting, 
but finallv abandoned the business for fruit 
growing and farming. His orchard of for- 
ty acres is conceded to be one of the finest 
and most productive in Noble township, 
and besides this he owns a well cultivated 
lands in Noble, Preston and Olney town- 
ships, consisting in all of about two hun- 
dred and forty-six acres. It will be seen 
from this that Mr. Bower is well supplied 
with this world's good which are the fruits 
of a life of industry. 

Mr. Bower is not a member of any re- 
ligious denomination or fraternal organiza- 
tion, but he is a man of unimpeachable 
character, who has done much toward ad- 
vancing the business interests of Noble 
township, being always ready and willing 
to contribute his share toward insuring the 
success of any project that has for its pur- 
pose the weal and welfare of that section 
of Richland county. Mr. Bower is a Dem- 
ocrat, but in his political belief is neither 






RAPHK \L AND Ul VIINISCEN1 II [S 1 1 IRY OF 



"hide-bound" nor partisan, always giving 
his franchise to men whom he believes will 
the interests of the people. 



I l BRIDGE Rl >BINSON. 

The life of the subject of this sketch has 
nol been of an unusual character, nothing 
strange or tragic about it, hut rather the 
antithesis, quiet and unostentatious, a life 
thai lias resulted in no harm t< i those \\ hi i 
have come under the influence of the sub- 
ject. He is (me of the "boys in blue", to 
whom all honor is due. 

Elbridge Robinson was born in Morgan 
county, Ohio, January 7. 1S44. on a farm. 
Me came to Marion county after the war. 
.Mr. Robinson is the son of tsrael and Mar- 
garet (Warne) Robinson, theformer hav- 
ing been born March 3, [804, in Brook 
count). \\ esl Virginia, who came to Ohio 
when six years old, a pioneer of the woods. 
He became a public man and served one 
term in the Legislature. He was a Whig. Is- 
rael Robinson was one of eleven children, a 
prominent man in his locality. He died 
in 1872. The mother of the subjeel was 
born in Muskingum county, Ohio, in [812, 
being a member of a family consisting of 
twelve children, six girls and an equal num- 
ber of boys. The parents of the subject 
married December 31, 1829. Our subject is 
the only one of six children living. 

Elbridge Robinson spenl his early life on 
a farm. His education was secured in the 



common school and at Rons College at Sha- 
ron, Ohio. When only sixteen years old he 
obtained a certificate to teach, and sui 

fully taught school both before and after 
the war. His sen ices were in great demand 
for he gained quite a reputation as an able 
educat >r. 

\s already intimated. Mr. Robinson was 
one of the brave sons of the North who of- 
fered his life in defense of his country, hav- 
ing enlisted in Company C. One Hundred 
and Twenty-second c >1 1 i. > Volunteer Infan- 
try, 111 August, [862, under the command 
of Colonel Ball, a judge at Zanesville, < >hio, 
and he served until the close of the war with 
much credit. He was wounded at Cold 
Harbor, June 3, 1864, which wound did 
not heal until after the close of the war. He 
was in the battles of Milroy's Defeat in 
June. [863, Locust Grove in November, 
[863, also fought at the Wilderness and 
at Spottsylvania. and several other en- 
gagements, some of his comrades having 
been killed in every battle. He was all 
through the strenuous Wilderness cam- 
paign. He has a congressional medal of 
honor For heroic service, having saved a 
Fallen comrade from being captured by the 
Confederates. The unfortunate man was 
Price Worthington of Company B, One 
Hundred and Twenty-second Regiment, the 
same as that of our subject. Mr. Robinson 
rushed back in the face of the enemy's fire 
through their lines and saved Mr. Worth- 
ington. After his return he was warmly 
congratulated by the officers and men for 
his heroic deed. I le was then only nineteen 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



477 



years old. He is remembered by his gov* 
eminent by a pension. 

Mr. Robinson was united in marriage on 
March 3, 1870, to Moretta Reichert and to 
this union the following children were born: 
Fora, born February 21, 1872, married 
Mamie Smith ; they are living in Vernon, 
and are the parents of two children; Lewis 
was born April 12, 1874, and died January 
13, 1898; Harry was born October 21, 
1877. The subject's first wife died in 1877. 
He was again married, his second wife be- 
ing Martha L. Peddicord, the daughter of 
A. M. and Man* Peddicord. No children 
were born to this union. But a little child, 
Bertrice Reynolds, whose parents and fam- 
ily had just moved to the village in very 
destitute circumstances with mother sick, 
the little six months' old Bertrice was found 
by Mrs. Robinson while on one of her visits 
of charity in an out building with scarcely 
any clothing or attention. Her sympathetic 
nature prompted her to carry the little waif 
to her home and assume the duties of 
mother. By proper consent she has ever 
since remained with her new found parents 
to scatter sunshine in their home, and with 
her affectionate disposition and loving 
words cheer their declining years down 
life's shaded pathway. 

The life of our subject has been spent on 
a farm and in the mercantile business, both 
of which he made a pronounced success of, 
and was enabled to lay up an ample compe- 
tence for his old age which he is spending 
in comfort and peace in quiet retirement. 
He is the owner of four hundred and fifteen 



acres of valuable land in a high state of cul- 
tivation and highly improved, being one of 
the model farms in Patoka township. He 
has a substantial and well furnished home, 
an excellent barn and convenient out build- 
ings, and he always keeps good stock of 
various kinds. He lives in Vernon at this 
writing. 

Mr. Robinson has always been a Repub- 
lican, however, he has never aspired to po- 
sitions of public trust, preferring to lead a 
quiet life and devote his time to his individ- 
ual business. He is a great reader, keeping 
posted on all current events. He is a deep 
thinker, has an excellent memory and is a 
very interesting conversationalist. He is 
held in high esteem bv all who know him. 



JOHN O. HENRY. 

Mr. Henry is identified with the financial, 
commercial and social life of Richland 
county, having succeeded in building up a 
prosperous banking business. He has been 
entrusted by his fellow citizens with the 
office of Mayor of Noble, Illinois, and dur- 
ing his term performed the duties of office 
with dignity and credit. He has been re- 
turned as Supervisor of Noble township at 
two succeeding elections. And this is but . 
a chapter from the life of a man of thirty- 
five years of age. 

John O. Henry is the son of Mason and 
Lucy Henry. On his father's side he comes 
of sturdy Irish pioneer stock, his grand- 



47* 



BIOGRAPHN \l. AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



father's parents being natives of Cork 
county, Ireland. His father, a native of Il- 
linois, removed to Lawrenceburg, Missouri, 
and there, in 1845, Mr. Henry was born. 
In his sixth year he came with his family 
to Noble, Illinois which has been his home 
ever since, and where in company with his 
four brothers and two sisters he laid the 
foundation of his education. Upon leaving 
school he entered business life where his 
strenuous efforts and affable manner soon 
bn night him t< > the forefront. 

The year 1 <)(>_> marked an important 
epoch in the life 1 >f Mr. 1 tenry. In thai 
year he married Bessie Shannon, prominent 
in Noble society circles, whose father. Wil- 
liam Shannon, had the distinction of serv- 
ing his country all through the Civil war. 

In addition to directing the affairs of an 

er-growing banking business, Mr. Henry 
is active as a Stock buyer, lie is reputed to 
be an excellent judge of stock, and it is 

said lie pays a g 1 price for anything he 

fain 

As a public man. Mr. Henry is thorough- 
ly clean and conscientious. He has a sane 
conception of public inn tever allows 

himself to be swayed by prejudice or party 
feelings; and is an alert student of the 
needs of the day. He is broad minded and 
b derant, and the man] 1 had 

during his publi er to display his pub- 

lic spirit have indelibly marked him as a 
most desirable citizen. His integrity and 
practical common sense combine to give 
him a high place in a community where he 
is most popular. He has a praiseworthy 



ambition to be of further service to his 
town and county, and many prophes) for 
him a higher place in public life than he 
has heretofore attained. 

Both Mr. and Mrs. Henry are prominent 
members of the Methodist Episcopal church 
and lead a happy domestic life. 



JAMES MARSHALL KINKADE. 

The old-fashioned notion that hard work. 
patient industry, and far-sightedness make 
for success in the various avenues of life 
does not seem to be accepted so unreserved- 
ly in our day. The spread of pessimism 
engendered by many phases of our complex 
life is in a great measure responsible for 
the lack of faith in the old idea. However, 
if we observe conditions closely we will find 
that the intelligent individual, who lead- a 
practical and industrious life, will reach a 
point of success commensurate with hi- ef- 
forts. The life of the subject of this sketch 
will afford us an instance of this. 

lames Marshall Kinkade. of PrestOtl 
town si iip. Richland county, Illinois was horn 
October 22,1845, ' n Hardin county, Ken- 
I h was 1 In -"ii of James and Mar- 
tha A. Kinkade. his mother's maiden name 
being Yeach. Both were natives of Hard- 
1 lunty, as were their parents b 
them and both came originally of Irish 
st.K-k. In the fall of 1850. then being five 
years of age. the subject of our sketch 
came with his parents from Hardin county. 



RICHLAND. CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



479 



Kentucky. The journey was a formidable 
one in those days. The wagons of the pio- 
neer had to be requisitioned : the Ohio had 
to be crossed by ferry at Louisville. Ken- 
tucky, camping out was a necessity. Added 
to this were the usual strain and restless ex- 
pectation which always attended such 
journeys. Thev landed eventually in Shel- 
by county, Illinois, where his father rented 
a farm remaining on the same fur two 
years. Then they moved to Richland 
countv. where erne hundred and sixtv acres 
of government land was purchased at the 
then current price of one dollar and twenty- 
five cents an acre. The place was then in 
the original state of wildness and its ap- 
pearance bespoke years of hard and unre- 
mitting labor to bring it to perfection. Un- 
daunted, the elder Kinkade set about the 
task, and at once started building a house 
for his family upon the property, in the 
meantime placing- them for safety under the 
roof of the log cabin of another family at 
the next settlement. The house erected 
was a frame one. being the first of that de- 
scription built in what is now Preston 
township. Having added barns and other 
buildings he moved the family into their 
new home. This was at a period eight or 
ten years before the district had been sur- 
veyed. There were no roads. People 
drove haphazardly about over cow-paths 
and trails. Upon the official survey being 
made, the elder Kinkade was elected Super- 
visor and as the township was as vet un- 
named the process of christening it was left 
to the father of the subject of our sketch. 



He named it Preston township which name 
it bears today. In the period we are refer- 
ring to the antiquated horse-mills were in 
use. It was customary for people to bring 
"grist to the mill" on horseback, utilizing 
the horses on their arrival to grind their 
produce. Whole wheat flour and that of 
the coarse variety were in use at that time. 
The process of evolution asserting itself, 
later on the windmill superseded the horse 
as motor power. Old time methods ruled 
in the agricultural line. In the planting of 
corn it was usual to hitch three yoke of 
oxen to the plow. At every third furrow 
corn was dropped in and the soil turned 
over upon it. The subject of our sketch re- 
members this process perfectly and many 
youthful days spent in assisting his father 
in the operation. As another instance of 
the backwardness of agricultural life at this 
time the threshing machine had not vet ap- 
peared on the scene. Threshing was done 
in this manner: The sheaves of wheat 
were laid upon the ground in a circle and 
horses were ridden around over them. 
When one side was threshed, or more liter- 
ally, trampled out, the sheaves were turned 
and the process repeated. The elder Kin- 
kade continued to improve the farm all 
through this time, fencing and erecting out- 
buildings. He obtained his timber supply 
from a plantation of eighty acres which 
stood in his land. 

James Marshall Kinkade remained at 
home on the farm until his twenty-first 
year. Afterwards, as something of a 
change he hired out with neighboring: 






\ I'll It \l. \\l> REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



farmers. When pasl his twenty-third birth- 
day he married Margaret J. Upton, on Feb- 
ruary _'S. [869, at which time he erected the 
home he now lives in on the family prop- 
erty, and having purchased fort) acres From 
his father settled down to farm. His 
parents continued to live in the nearby 
h..mc until the fall of [88 1. when they 
ighl town property in Dundas, Preston 
township, whither they moved, ami where 
they remained until their demise. The 
der lame- Kinkade was born October 26, 
7. married April <;. [838, a- before 
stated, in Hardin county. Kentucky, and 
died Augusl 23, [893. Hi- wife preceded 
him February 3, 1891. Both are buried in 
Dundas cemetery, Preston township. Du 
ring their married !ife they 'eared nine chil- 
dren, five hoys and four girls, of which 
lame- Mar-hall Kinkade was fourth in or 
der of birth. Seven of the family grew to 
maturity, while on- died ai the age of ten 
years. 

The mother of James Mar-hall Kinkade 
was horn Augusl 1 1. [816, in I tardin 
county. Kentucky. < >n her marriage she 

left the home of her parent- who were also 
natives Kentuckians, and who died in their 

tive -late. She wa- one of seven chil- 
dren, all of w horn grew up. 

Margaret J. Upton, the wife of the sith- 
jeet of our -ketch, whom he married in 
[869, was born in Richland county. Preston 
township, October 11. 1852, and was the 
daughter of Isaac and ( ynthia Upton, na- 
tive- of Ohio, whose parents originally 
came from Kentucky. Her parent- married 
in September, 1851. in Mercer county, 



Ohio. In 1851, her father and grandfather 

went to Iowa in search of land, when not 
finding a suitable location they turned their 
face- toward Richland county. Illinois, in 
which the} -ettled on one hundred and sixty 
acre-, paying tin- government price of one 
dollar and twenty-five cent- an acre. Upon 
settling in Illinois they -cut to Ohio for 
their families. They remained in tin- new 
location for three years when they -old out 
and purchased another one hundred 
sixty acre- of prairie and eighty acres of 
timber which they settled on and where 
Grandmother Upton died. Grandfather Up- 
ton surviving her a few years and dying 
upon what 1- known as the Hill farm. H 
had reached his seventieth year. The 
younger people, Isaac and his wife, re- 
mained on the farm at Dundas. Illinois 
(Preston township) until the time of their 
death. Mrs. Upton died at the age ol 
thirty-one, in the year [866. Her husband 
survived her several years, dying Decem- 
ber [3, [889, aged fifty-seven years, two 
m inths ami two days. The couple were the 
parents of -i\ children — five growing to 
maturity, one dying in infancy. The wife 

of the subjed of this -ketch was the oldest 

1 if her family. 

During hi- iong farming life James 

Mar-hall Kinkade prospered, and he now 
owns one hundred and tive acre- ol rich 
farm land and which ha- been painstakingly 
improved and admirably cultivated under 
his supervision. He lead- a very happy 
family life and has had three children born 
him. Two grew to maturity while one 
1 in early life. Of hi- children. T.uelln 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



4 8l 



became the wife of Allison T. Phillips, a 
well known accountant in Casper, Wyoming, 
and James I. has been an employee of the 
Illinois Central for several years on which 
road he is a brakeman. 

In early life James Marshall Kinkade ob- 
tained a better education than many in the 
township. He spent a term of six months 
in the subscription schools, after which he 
attended the free common schools until his 
twenty-first year. In his school-boy days 
lie was considered a very apt pupil : and his 
early training has been of much benefit to 
him in after years. 

In politics he is a Democrat and is an 
ardent admirer of William Jennings Bryan. 
He has been quite active in township af- 
fairs where his ability and practical com- 
mon sense have received recognition. He 
has been for some time Road Commissioner, 
an office for which he is well fitted and 
which he still holds. He served a term 
of nine years as Treasurer of schools in 
Preston township. In religion his wife is 
a member of the Missionary Baptist church 
at Dundas, Preston township. Richland 
county, Illinois. 



ROBERT HAMILTON CHAPMAX. 

The blue blood of the Hamiltons. who 
were so prominent in those troublous days 
when the American forefathers were sac- 
rificing their life's blood for that priceless 
boon — liberty, flows through the veins of 
31 



Robert Hamilton Chapman, he being a de- 
scendant of the distinguished Alexander 
Hamilton, who was so closely identified 
with the early history of the republic as 
secretary of the treasury in President 
Washington's cabinet. Being a man of 
great energy, with a determination to ac- 
complish perfectly whatever task he set out 
to perform the subject of this sketch can 
look back over a very busy career. Al- 
though he has been a resident of Noble 
township, Richland county, but a short time 
he has many friends who admire him for 
his sterling- qualities. 

Mr. Chapman was born in Kent county, 
Michigan, March 11, 1853. His father was 
Anthony Chapman, who moved from New 
York to Michigan in 1828. His mother's 
maiden name was Adeline Hamilton, and 
she was a native of New 7 York. Four chil- 
dren were born to the couple, viz: Malina 
(Potter); Edwena (Doris): Robert, the 
subject, and Amherst Cheney. 

The subject was wedded to Ida Kent, 
December 23, 1876. She was born in Wil- 
liams county, December 23, 1856. Her 
father lineally came from Irish stock, and 
was born in 18 10. Her mother was Sarah 
( Reams) Kent, and was of German ances- 
try. Her father was a pioneer in Ohio, and 
when he settled in Williams county, it was 
in a very wild state, being practically a 
wilderness. He entered upon the task of 
clearing this land, with vigor, and eventual- 
ly converted the unbroken forest into fruit- 
ful fields. Incidentally he made "good In- 
dians" out of several very bad Indians. Mr. 



$2 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



Kent helped build the firsl court-house that 
was erected in Williams county. 

Mr. and Mrs. Chapman arc the parents 
of five children, namely; Robert, born May 
20, 1878, 1- a prosperous farmer and car- 
penter in Alberta, Canada; Pearl 1 Mrs. Bil 
born I let iber 17. 1879, resides 
in Noble township, her husband being man- 
ager of a tile and brick factory. She has 
three children. Hazel, .Myrtle and Claude. 
George, bom August 31, [882, is a black- 
smith, of MbiTta. Canada, where also 
sides Rub} (Mrs. Davis), who was born 
July 9, [886, has two children, Daisy and 
Dorothy. Barne) Kent, born April 20, 
1888, is also a resident of Canada. 

Mr. Chapman was a carpenter, farmer 
and lumber dealer until he removed to Lake 
Arthur. Louisiana, in [888, where he con- 
fined himself to bis first named trade. In 
[892 the family made another change, re- 
moving to Richmond. Texas, where Mr. 
( hapman combined the pursuit of agricul- 
ture with mechanical labor. The great Gal- 
veston storm and tidal wave of [900, which 
created so much devastation, moved him to 
dispose of bis interests in Texas, and to 

move to Noble township, where he worked 
as a blacksmith until 1 1 1< > 1 . when he de- 
ed i" ir\ In- fortunes in \lberta. Can- 
ada, where the majority of his children 
were living, and shortly upon his arrival 
there be acquired a homestead, \fter five 
residence in Canada the famil) re- 
turned to Noble, where they purchased a de- 
sirable farm mi which they have pi. 
many improvements in the wa\ ■ 1 modern 
machinerv for its cultivation. 



Throughout his life Mr, * hapman has 
been imbued with the war spirit, and his 
tiist attempt to serve his country was dur- 
ing the civil strife, when he tried to enter 
as a drummer boy, but much to his chagrin 
was refused on account of his tender year-. 

lb- volunteered for Spanish-American war 
service at Rosenburg, Texas, [898, but 
failed to pass the examination, hence he has 
given up all hope of ever satisfying his 
thirst for military glory. I le has been a life- 
long Democrat. He is the possessor of a 
modest competence, and he and his wife 
live in a ver\ comfortable dwelling, happy 
in the knowledge that they will be able to 
live a life of ease in the declining years of 
their life. 



ELI W. fONES. 



The honored subject of this sketch has 
lived to see Marion county develop from 

the wild prairie and primeval forests in- 
habited by wild animals and a few pioneer 
settlers to its present magnificent prosperity. 
its eleganl homes, comfortable public build- 
ings, fertile farms and thriving cities: and 
lie has played no small part in this great 
work of transformation. 

Eli W. Jones was born in Marion county. 
Illinois. April _'o. [839, the son of James 
and Laura 1 Liielen) Jones, the former hav- 
ing been born in October. [795, in Georgia, 
near where Atlanta now stands, lie came 
to Illinois in 1 Si 4 and was in the War of 
[8l2, having served two short terms guard- 
ing the surveyors when the state was sur- 



RICHLAND. CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



483 



veyed. He was in Captain Schurtz's com- 
pany. He married in Bond county, Illinois, 
at Keysport, in 1823, and came to Marion 
county soon afterward, where he settled 
among the earliest pioneers and where he 
lived until his death, August 29, 1865. He 
devoted his life to farming - . He was a very 
pious man. a member of the Methodist 
church and an exhorter. He entered gov- 
ernment land in this county which he im- 
proved and put a part of it in cultivation. 
There were some Indians here at the time. 
He was a Democrat until the time of Frank- 
lin Pierce, when he turned Republican. He 
was always opposed to slavery. He never 
took much interest in politics, but devoted 
his time to the farm and the church. The 
mother of the subject was born in Kentucky. 
December 1, 1806, and died February 26, 
1885. 

Eli W. Jones spent his boyhood days 
much like the other boys of his time, in as- 
sisting with the work on his father's farm 
and attending school in the country district 
for a short time during the winter, receiv- 
ing a meager education. 

'When the national government was in 
need of loyal supporters to defend its in- 
tegrity it found no more willing patriot than 
our subject, who enlisted in 1861 at the 
beginning of hostilities in the Twenty- 
sixth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, being as- 
signed to Company H, under command of 
Colonel Loomis and Capt. A. B. Morrison. 
He faithfully and gallantly served for four 
years when he had a leg shot off, having 
been shattered bv a minie-ball in Sherman's 



last big fight, which fact causes him to 
wear an artificial leg. He never missed a 
battle or a march until losing his leg. He 
was in the famous march to the sea, in the 
battle of Corinth, the siege of Vicksburg, 
the battle of Missionary Ridge and out of 
fifty-seven smaller engagements was never 
defeated. He is remembered by his gov- 
ernment for his gallantry with a pension of 
forty-six dollars. He was never in the hos- 
pital a day while in the army until he was 
wounded. He spent ten days in the ambu- 
lance beore finding a hospital. 

Mr. Jones was united in marriage to 
Mary Rymon, August 28, i860. When he 
went away to war he left a little baby, three 
months old. His wife was born December 
31, 1839, the daughter of Justus R. Rymon, 
who was born November 14, 1808. The 
mother of the subject's wife was Martha 
Dickens in her maidenhood. She was born 
July 26, 1816. Mr. and Mrs. Rymon were 
married May 4, 1836. Mr. Rymon was a 
preacher and a doctor and was a prominent 
man in his community. He was called from 
his earthly labors February 24, 1878, and 
his wife passed to her rest January 1, 1881. 

The following children have been born to 
Mr. and Mrs. Jones: J. T.. a well known 
physician of Salem. Illinois, who is at pres- 
ent unable to practice on account of failing 
health. He married Carrie E. Bennett and. 
they are the parents of two children. Logan 
M., the subject's second child, was born 
November 1. 1804, and died in 1 S73 : Flora 
was born May 10. 1868, and died Novem- 
ber 9, 1873. 



484 



BIOGRAPHN \l. AND REMINISCEN1 HISTORY "I 



( )ur subject was for manj years a breeder 
of fine horses and hogs and the owner of 

rie high grade imported stallions and 
others i if tine variety. 

Mr. Jones has always been a loyal Re- 
publican, having cast his first vote for Abra- 
ham Lincoln. In 1S72 he was elected Cir- 
cuit Clerk of Marion county, being the first 
Republican clerk the county ever had. 
This shows Mr. Jones's great popularity in 
bis own county. He faithfully served in 
this capacity, giving entire satisfaction to 
all concerned. He has also served his town- 
ship as School Trustee, was the first Town 
Clerk of Foster and is at present Justice 
of the Peace. He is regarded as being en- 
tirely fair in his decisions. He served as 
Supervisor of Patoka township for one term 
of two years. He is well known politically, 
and he is held in high favor by all who 
km iw him. 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN HEAP. 

Benjamin Franklin Heap, living in sec- 
tion 23, Okie} township, was bom January 

26, [847, in this township. He is the son 
of Isaiah and Rachael ( Powell) Heap, the 
former a native of Guernsey county. Ohio, 
where he was reared. When a young man 

me to Richland county. Illinois, and 
entered government land in Olney town- 
ship, where he lived until his death. Vpril 

27, [881, having improved a farm. He 
was among the pioneers of that section. 
Isaiah Heap was a soldier in the Union 



army in the Civil war. for about a year. 
ha\ ing been a member 1 >f ( '< impanj E, Sixth 
Illinois Cavalry. His wife survived him, 
living February _',}. [905. She was bom 
in Chester county, Pennsylvania, in 1S24. 
and when two years old was taken to W in 
cbcster. Guernsey county, Ohio, where she 
was reared. When ten years old she 
left an orphan. In 1040 sin- came to Rich- 
land county. Illinois, with James Wilson 
and family, who were relatives. She entered 
land with a warrant issued to her by her 
father for services in the War of 1812. 
She joined the United Brethren church in 
[842, at a log school-house, a short distance 
from her home and in the winter of [877 
united with the Methodist Episcopal church 
at Calhoun. She lived to see four genera- 
tions of her family living. She was a 
woman of beautiful characteristics. 

Benjamin F. Heap, our subject, was 
reared on the old homestead, where he re- 
mained assisting with the work until eight- 
een years old, attending school in the winter 
months. Like bis father be was patriotic. 
and on March 28, [865, enlisted with the 
former, becoming a member of Company E. 
Sixth Illinois Cavalry. A year earlier he 
quil school and offered his services, but was 
rejected on account of bis youth. He was 
mustered out at Selma. Alabama, and was 
discharged December 25, 1865. He was 
on the march most of the time during his 
service in Kentucky. Tennessee. Alabama 
and Florida. After the war he was sick 
about a year as a result of bis exposure in 
the service, then he began work as a farm 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



485 



hand, later renting- land and began for him- 
self. He now owns a farm of eighty acres, 
three and one-half miles south of Olney. 
where he has lived many years and which 
he has improved and which produces ex- 
cellent crops from year to year under his 
efficient management. He devotes consid- 
erable time to the manufacture of brooms, 
finding a ready market for his product 
which is of fine quality and excellent work- 
manship. He raises large quantities of 
broom-corn on the farm. 

Mr. Heap was united in marriage March 
6, 1870, to Mary D. Wilson, who was born 
March 19. 1847, m Guernsey county, Ohio, 
then living in Coles county, Illinois. Mrs. 
Heap is the daughter of William J. and 
Mary (Powell) Wilson, the former a na- 
tive of Virginia, who emigrated to Ohio 
with his parents, his wife having- been born 
in Pennsylvania and moved to Ohio with her 
parents when seven years old. The subject's 
great-grandfather Powell was a soldier 
in the Revolutiona''v war and Grandfather 
Powell was a soldier in the War of 1812. 
The latter also had three brothers. David, 
John and Benjamin, in the War of 1812. 
Two brothers of Mrs. Heap, Abel and Wil- 
liam Wilson, served in the Civil war. Wil- 
liam dying j n the sen-ice of the Seventh 
Illinois Cavalry, at Little Rock. Arkansas, 
about a year after his enlistment. The par- 
ents of Mrs. Heap emigrated to Coles coun- 
ty, Illinois, in i86t. where her father died 
at the age of sixty years. The mother died 
in Wright county, Iowa, at the age of 
eighty-four years. Mrs. Heap is from a 



family of long longevity. Her grandfather 
lacked but a few days of being one hundred 
years old when he died. 

Three children have been born to the sub- 
ject and wife: Carrie, who was bom April 
22, 1871, is the wife of Owen Hudson, of 
Vancouver. Washington ; Mark O. was 
born March 8. 1874, is a carpenter in Rich- 
land county ; Karl L., born September 22, 
1876. is a veteran of the Spanish- American 
war, and a farmer in North Dakota. He 
served one year in Cuba with Company H, 
Fourth Illinois Volunteer Infantry. 

Mr. Heap is a stanch Republican and a 
member of the Ed. Ketchell Post, No. 662, 
Grand Army of the Republic. He is honest 
in his dealings with his fellow men and 
one of the well known citizens of the county. 



JAMES S. MORTON, M. D. 

Concentration of purpose and persistently 
applied energy rarely fail of success in the 
accomplishment of any task however great, 
and in tracing the career of Dr. Morton, 
a well known physician of Vernor, Marion 
county, it is plainly seen that these things 
have been the secrets of his rise to a po- 
sition of prominence and respectability. 
Moreover he possesses genuine love for his- 
work and regards it as a privilege to carry 
comfort and aid to the sick and suffering. 

Dr. James S. Morton was born in Clin- 
ton, Alabama. September 8, 1864. the son of 
Samuel and Julia (Bizzell) Morton. His 



4 86 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



father was born in Belfast, Ireland. March 
28, 1827, and came to the United Slates 
in 1852, landing in New Orleans, soon af- 
terward coming on to Clinton, Alabama, 

where lie remained for a short time when 
he began the Study of medicine, later attend- 
ing the University of Pennsylvania from 
which institution he graduated with honor, 
.iiicr which he returned to Alabama and 
became one of the state's most able physi- 
cians. He came to Patoka, Illinois, in 1868 
went to Earming, five miles northwest 
of that town. He came to Vernon in 1872 
for the purpose of resuming the practice of 
medicine which he continued with much 
success until his death July 10, 1906. He 
was one of a family of ten children and he 
came to America unaccompanied. The 
mother of our subject was born near ( iolds- 
borough, North Carolina, in [841. The 
parents of our subject were married in i860, 
ami to them the following children were 
born : Andrew B., who became a physician, 
died at the age of thirty-eight; James S. 
was the set' irder •■( birth; John died 

in infancy: Eliza I'.. who is thirty-eight 
years old at this writing, married William 
Binnion. They have three children and are 
living in Vernon, Illinois. Samuel, the third 
child of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Morton, died 
when tl ears old; < leorge died in in- 

fancy; Anna i- thirty-five years old, is single 
living with the subject. 
Doctor Mott,, 11 received his early educa- 
tion in Vernon, this county, where he at- 
tended the 11 schools Hid made a 
splendid record. Being ambitious to follow 
1 Eootsteps of his worthy father in the 



medical profession, he went to Valparaiso, 

Indiana, where he took a course in the uni- 
\er-ity from 1880 to 1 88^, after which he 
entered Rush Medical College in Chicago in 
[884, from which institution he graduated 
with high honors in 1887, and be has been 
engaged in practice in Vernon, Illinois, ever 
since, being the oldest doctor here. 



C. R. DAVIS. 



Any volume which ventures to give any- 
thing like a comprehensive enumeration. 
biographically, of the prominent citizens of 

(lay count}'. Illinois, must necessarily be 
incomplete without inclusion of the life his- 
tory of t '. R. Davis, the popular editor and 
proprietor of two newspapers of large cir- 
culation — The Toledo and The Louisville 
Republican. In his sphere of endeavor he 
has earnestly sought to expound and incul- 
cate the higher ideals ,,f citizenship: and 
not even the modesty characteristic of him 
has prevented his obtaining recognition as 
a moulder of public opinion in his section 
1 if the - 1 

Our subject was bom in Maysville, then 
the count) seat of Clay county, on the 28th 
day of January. 1S44. He was the SO 
John W. Davis and his wife, whose maiden 
name was Mary Bishop. John \V. Davis 
was a well known figure in the political life 
of the state in his day, and for many years 
of his life held responsible official positions 
of trust. He provided well for bis family 
and lived a well ordered life. ( '. R. Davis 
-pent hi- youth m the shelter of the paternal 



RICHLAND. (.'LAV AND MARION COUNTIES. ILLINOIS. 



487 



homestead and being- eighteen years of age 
during' the Civil war lie enlisted in July of 
the year 1862 and served as a soldier, par- 
ticipating' in many engagements, until .Sep- 
tember. 1865. His first vote as a citizen 
was recorded during this time and was cast 
for Abraham Lincoln while at the front in 
Georgia in 1864. On returning from the 
war he entered a printing office in Louis- 
ville and there learned the various phases of 
the printing trade, serving an apprenticeship 
of three years. 

In the year 1871. in partnership with an- 
other, he launched the publication of a 
newspaper in Greenup. Illinois, which lie 
sold in the spring of 1872. He then re- 
turned to Louisville and took charge of the 
official Republican paper of Clay county. 
which he conducted with marked success. 
In 1874 he became the publisher of The 
Baptist Banner for Reverends Kelly and 
Allen at Ewing. Franklin county. In 1876 
he was in Louisville as editor and pub- 
lisher of The Louisville Ledger. In [882 
he started The Farina Xews at Farina, Il- 
linois, which he conducted for over nineteen 
years, disposing of the plant on the 10th of 
January. 1902. On the 17th of December. 
1901. he purchased The Pinckneyville Ad- 
vocate, the official Republican paper of 
Perrv county. Here be remained for four 
years and built up the paper when, having 
made it one of the best circulating in the 
southern part of Illinois, he sold it for a 
good price and purchased a job office in 
Centralia, where for a year he did excellent 
business and finally disposed of it to a 
company. 



In October of the year 1007. gaining 
control of The Toledo Argus, he re-named 
it the Toledo Republican and added ma- 
chinery and new material, making it an up- 
to-date modernly equipped newspaper plant. 
The paper from the time of its reorganiza- 
tion gained in popularity, and each suc- 
ceeding week saw an increase in its circu- 
lation. At the present time C. R. Davis 
also controls the destiny of The Louisville 
Republican which was established in 1894. 
Both papers are ably edited with undi- 
minished vigor and receive all the benefits 
of the foresight and judgment of our sub- 
ject. 

The veteran Republican newspaper edi- 
tor and soldier of the Civil war is now in 
his sixty-fifth year and indications point to 
bis still being in the harness many years 
from today. He is a well known figure at 
the gatherings of Republican newspaper 
editors and is popular with his confreres. 
In fraternal and social circles the subject 
of our sketch is a member of the Grand 
Army of the Republic, local post: of the 
Masonic Order up to the Royal Arch de- 
gree, and of the Eastern Star. In religion 
he is a member of the Methodist church. 



JAMES MILLER RATCLIFF. 

To his own efforts is the success of James 
M. Ratcliff attributable, for he started out 
upon his business career practically without 
capital or aid from anyone, but being am- 
bitious and industrious he forged ahead and 



4 88 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCEN1 HISTORY OF 



i- the owner of a good farm in < Uney town- 
ship, Richland county. This, too, is the 
visible evidence of his prosperity and in- 
dustry, for when it came into his possession 

it was only partly improved and nol nearly 
so productive as it is at this writing. Such a 
man deserves the high regard in which he 
is held by his neighbors. 

fames M. Ratcliff was horn in Noble 
township. Richland county. August 20, 
[848, the son of John and Mary ( Bullard) 
Ratcliff. the former a native of England, 
the latter of Noble township, this county. 
John Ratcliff came to the United States 
when twelve years old with his parents. 
William and Mary Ann ( Miller) Ratcliff. 
locating in Ohio, where they remained for 
a short time, and later came to Richland 
county, taking Up one hundred and sixty 
acres of land in what is now Olney town- 
ship. The country was then wild and un- 
inhabited. They were among the early 
pioneers. Here William and Marx Rat- 
cliff lived a number of years, developing a 

d farm, and died on the same, the foi 
mer November 8, [868, at the age of sev- 
enty-eighl years, his wife surviving him sev 
eral years. 

him Ratcliff. father of our subject, 
horn January 2~ . [823, was twelve years 

old when he came to the United States with 

his parents. He grew to maul d in Rich- 
land county, and bought an unimproved 
farm in Olney township which he devel- 
oped into a good farm, selling the same in 
a few years and engaging in merchandising 
at Louisville, Illinois, for a few vears, later 



going to Texas where he died October j- % 
[900. I lis wife, horn May 29, [827, also 
died in the Lone Star state. February 10. 
[907. They were the parents of thirteen 
children, seven of whom grew to maturity. 
five of them living at this writing, the sub- 
ject of this sketch being the third in order 
of birth. When he was six years old the 
famil) located on a farm in Olney town- 
ship, where James was reared and where he 
attended the common schools, receiving a 
fairly good education. The father of the 
subject being a preacher in the Methodist 
Episcopal church. James was compelled to 
do much of the work on the farm and he 
did not have the advantages of an educa- 
tion that lie desired. Tie remained under 
his parental roof until he was twenty-two 
years old, when he married and settled on a 
farm which he rented, consisting of one 
hundred and twenty acres in Madison town- 
ship, where he remained for twenty year-. 
having thrived from the first owing to his 
habits .if industry and economy. Besides 
engaging in general farming he raised 
much good stock. 

hi [903 Mr. Ratcliff boughl fi rt) ai 
where he now lives in section 27. Olney 
township, having previously bought forty 
acres in Madison township. I lis farm 
shows that a man of good judgment and 
business ability has managed it. for it 
ranks well with the modern farms of this 
county in every respect, on which is to be 
found an excellent, comfortable and con- 
venient residence. 

Mr. Ratcliff was united in marriage 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



489 



August 27, 1870, to Levina Stauffer, a na- 
tive of Olney. and the daughter of Michael 
and Elizabeth (Lutz) Stauffer. natives of 
Pennsylvania, who were early settlers in 
Richland county, near Calhoun. The par- 
ents of Mrs. Ratcliff died in Olney. The 
subject and wife are the parents of three 
children: Cora, born July 2. 1871, the wife 
of Harvey Barnes, of Madison township : 
Oris, born June 15. 1874, who is living at 
home; Ira, born April 10, 1879, married 
Elsie Kite and lives in Vinton, Iowa. Mr. 
and Mrs. Ratcliff also have a ( foster) 
daughter. Lena, who has been in their home 
since she was two and a half years old, and 
is now over fifteen years old. 

In politics Mr. Ratcliff is a Republican. 
He faithfully served on the School Board 
for a number of years. In his fraternal re- 
lations he is a member of the Modern 
Woodmen of America at Calhoun. He and 
his family are members of the Methodist 
Episcopal church, in which he has been a 
steward, class leader, etc., for many years. 
He and his family are held in high favor 
by their neighbors and all who know them 
for their clean and industrious lives. 



HERBERT D. RYMAX, M. D. 

The subject of this sketch, although yet a 
young man. has won a wide reputation in 
the medical profession and shown what a 
man of careful mental training, honesty of 
purpose and an abundance of zeal and per- 



sistence can accomplish, although his early 
advantages were none too flattering. He is 
naturally endowed with the capacities of 
the successful practitioner of medicine, at 
least this would be inferred, judging from 
the eminent success he has attained. 

Dr. Herbert D. Ryman was torn April 
11. 1878, in Vernon. Illinois, the son of 
Samuel T. and Martha S. (Jones) Ryman, 
the former having been born near Salem, 
this county, in 1850. He was a successful 
merchant in Vernon for many years, but in 
later life was a farmer, having died on his 
farm in 1882. He was a well known Re- 
publican and took quite an active part in 
local political affairs in Marion county. He 
ably served as Collector, Assessor, Super- 
visor and in many other township offices. 
He was the son of old Doctor Ryman, of 
Salem, who was known to everyone in the 
count}- during his residence here. The Ry- 
man family came from Heidelburg, Ger- 
many, being the descendants of the royal 
family. One of them who was entitled to 
high rank in Germany died in 1882. The 
grandmother of our subject on his father's 
side was a direct descendant of Charles 
Dickens, the famous English novelist. The 
mother of the subject was born in Foster 
township in i860 and passed to her rest in 
1902. She belonged to the Methodist Epis- 
copal church. The subject's paternal grand- 
father was a preacher, a doctor and a tailor 
at Salem. 

The subject had one brother who is de- 
ceased ; one sister also deceased, and two 
half sisters, one of whom is deceased. Our 






BIOGRAPHICAL VND REMINISCEN1 HISTORY OF 



subject is from a family of physicians and 
it is quite natural that he should take to the 
medical profession. He is the cousin of 
Doctor Jones, of Salem, and the grandson 
of old Doctor Ryman. of Salem. His grand- 
mother's father was also a phj sician. 

Dr. Herbert D. Ryman received his early 
education in .Marion county, first attending 
the- public school at Vernon. Being an am- 
bitious lad he applied himself in a mi si 
siduous manner and made rapid strides in 
his studies. He entered the medical col- 
lege at Topeka, Kansas, from which he 
graduated with high honors. He is both a 
registered physician anil pharmacist of Kan- 
and a registered doctor of [llinois. 
After leaving college, Doctor Ryman 
practiced for a short time in Shawnee coun- 
ty, Kansas, with much success from the first. 
Then he moved hack to Vernon, Illinois, 
and has been engaged in practice here ever 
since, having built Up an excellent patron- 
Only about two years of the subject's life 
was spent out of the schoolroom since he 
was six years old. He taught school for 
several years in Kansas where he became 
known as an able educator. Me was prin- 
cipal of the Richmond, Kansas, schools. He 
was also principal of the schools at Roches 
ter, just north of Topeka. Through years 
of Study and experience in teaching 
practice he has become a well educated man 
ami is an inter. nversationalist. His 

practice is not confined to Patoka township, 
hut it extends to remote part- of the county. 
being often called on serious cases and in 



counsel with other physician-, and his ad- 
vice is invariably followed with flattering 
result-. 

Doctor Ryman was happily married to 
Cora I!. X'orris. of Vernon, this county, 
September 7, 1898. She is an accomplished 
and refined lady, the representative of an ex- 
cellent family, being the daughter of J. 1'. 
Xorris. whose sketch appears in full in tl 
work. Two interesting children have been 
horn to our subject and wife, namely: 
Christene, who was mx years old in Febru- 
ary, I'M »8 : and 1 .ucile, who was tw 
old in June. n)o8. Our subject was mar- 
ried at high noon and left at one o'clock 
for Kansas. His wife is also a teacher of 
much ability, having taught school in Kan- 
sas with her husband. Doctor Ryman served 
as Town Clerk in Richmond. Kansas. He is 
a loyal Republican. The future to such a 
man as our subject holds much of prom 
for he is a man of genuine worth, ambi- 
tious and popular, being well liked by alt 
who know him. 



Tllo.M \S RATCLIFF, 
( [824-1909 ' 

Richland county is characterized by her 
full share of the honored and faithful 
ment who have done so much for its de- 
velopment and upbuilding and the establish- 
1 the institutions of civilization in this 
fertile and well favored section. In this 
work are comprised many biographical and 
memorial sketches of this class ,,f citizens 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



491 



and it is wit in the least too early to record 
in print the principal items in the lives of 
such honest ]>eople, giving honor to whom 
hi mi n" is due. Among those sturdy pio- 
neers, if not pioneers in settlement, at least 
in certain lines of business that have de- 
veloped along with the rest of the county, 
the gentleman whose life history we now 
take under review is properly installed, for 
his eminently useful career which has now 
been closed by the inevitable fate that awaits 
us all, resulted in incalculable good to this 
locality as many who revere his memory can 
attest. 

Thomas Ratcliff. long one of the most 
widely known business men of the county, 
but who lived in retirement in the 
town of Olnev for several years prior 
to his death, was born in the County of 
Kent. Canterberry. England. April 24. 
1824. the son of William and Alary Ann 
(Miller) Ratcliff. who emigrated to Amer- 
ica in 1830, locating at Buffalo. New York, 
where they remained two years, then moved 
to Richland county. Illinois. William Rat- 
cliff had previously entered one hundred 
and sixty acres in what is now Olnev town- 
ship, five miles south of Olnev. Here the 
family located, built a log house and began 
making improvements, developing a good 
farm, being- among the pioneers. William 
Ratcliff died on the farm he entered, having 
reached the age of seventy-nine years, and 
his good wife passed to her rest a year later 
at the age of seventy-six. They were the 
parents of fourteen children, three of whom 
died in infancy, only one of the number is 



now living, Elijah, who is residing in Osh- 
kosh, Wisconsin. He was the eighth in 
order of birth and our subject was the sev- 
enth. The family was nine weeks and three 
days in crossing the Atlantic from Liverpool 
to Xew York, making the trip on the 
"Mount Vernon," an old sailing" vessel. 

James M. Ratcliff, brother of Thomas 
was a soldier in the Civil war. having 
served three years. Two brothers of the 
subject's mother, George and John Miller, 
came to the United States in an early day 
and became farmers in Richland county. 
Ohio, where they died. 

Thomas Ratcliff was six years old when 
he came to the United States, and in his 
fourteenth year when he came to Richland 
county, Illinois. He was here reared on a 
farm and attended the subscription schools, 
such as they were in those early days, and 
received a good foundation for an educatii >n 
which in later life was supplemented by 
home reading and contact with the business 
world. He helped clear and improve his 
father's farm, experiencing many hardships 
and privations, remaining" at home until 
1842 when he began the trade of black- 
smith in the village of Olnev, in a shop lo- 
cated on the lot owned by the subject until 
his death. He served an apprenticeship of 
three vears under James Urie. who had 
come from Ohio and opened a shop here. 
He received three dollars and fifty cents 
per month, board and washing. Air. Rat- 
cliff succeeded his employer m business in 
a little frame shop. He later erected a two- 
story brick on the lots and conducted the 



4"- 



BIOGRAPHK \l. AND REMINISCEN1 HISTORY 01 



business for about thirty years with splen- 
did success, after which the work was car- 
ried i in by his son for several years. In 
early days he manufactured tools, plows, 
wagons and many other things used by 
farmers. 

Thomas Ratcliff was united in marriage 
September [9, [844, to Catherine Ransted, 
a native of Vigo county, Indiana, who 
came with her step-father and mother to 
Richland county, Illinois, in 1839, her father 
having died previously. Her mother mar- 
ried Thomas Ellingsworth, a farmer, own- 
ing a farm adjoining the village of Olney ; 
he later sold the same and bought a farm 
in Claremont township, where he died. Her 
mother died in Olney at the home of her 
daughter, Mrs. Ratcliff. To Mr. and Mrs. 
Thomas Ratcliff nine children were horn, 
four of whom are deceased. The) arc Albert, 
William I\, Luther, John, Oscar, George 
W., died when young: Caroline. Julia Ann, 
Ida Eudora. Albert, the eldest child, en- 
listed in Company B, Ninety-eighth Illinois 
Volunteer Infantry, and served until the 
close , ,1 die war. without mishap, having 
been in many engv. lb- became a 

blacksmith and machinist and carried on 
this business very successfully for many 
years after his father retired. lie later 
moved to Princeton, Indiana, where lie en- 
gaged in similar work, and where he -lied. 

After retiring from blacksmithing Mr. 
Ratcliff was engaged in the sale of agricul 
tural implements for several years. I'>\ 

years ,,f hard work and g 1 management 

he laid up a comfortable competei 



In politics Mr. Ratcliff was a Republican. 
anil served in several local positions, having 
been one of the Supervisors at the time the 
court-house was built, and he was also on 
the building committee. He also served as 
Alderman 1 if ( tlney. 

( )n September m. [908, Mr. and Mrs. 
Thomas Ratcliff celebrated the sixty-fourth 
anniversary of their marriage, one of the 
leading events in the history of such gather- 
ings in the county. They were then both in 
good health and in full possession of all 
their faculties, but the dawning of another 
year meant the closing of their beautiful 
lives on earth and the breaking of a new 
day in the mystic beyond, for death, "like 
a friend's voice from a distant field." called 
them hence, only a few days apart, the 
summons coming to Mrs. Ratcliff on Tan- 
nary 8. H)(M), and on January 23, [909, to 
her honored and faithful husband. 



CH \RI.KS E. BLANKINSHIP. 

He whose career we now take under con- 
sideration and to whom the reader's atten- 
tion is respectfully directed is numbered 
among the progressive and successful busi- 
ness men if Marion county, of which lie has 
been a residenl for many years, while he has 
gained prosperity through his own honest 
efforts in connection with the development 
of the natural resources and the Subsequent 
business prosperit) . 

Charles !■'.. Blankinship was born in ! 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES. ILLINOIS. 



493 



ette county, Illinois. August 8, 1861, the son 
of Edward and Susannah (Lollar) Blank- 
inship. Grandfather Blankinship was a na- 
tive of Tennessee, who came to Illinois 
about 1837 and settled in Fayette county, 
on a farm and where he lived until his death 
in i860. The father of the subject was 
bom in Tennessee and was brought here by 
his parents when a child. After he reached 
manhood he first engaged in farming and 
later engaged in merchandising the balance 
of his life, having passed to his rest in 1871, 
at the age of thirty-four years. The sub- 
ject's mother was also about the same age 
when she died in 1877. The father was a 
member of the Methodist church and the 
mother of the Christian church. The for- 
mer was a Democrat. They were the par- 
ents of five children, all having died young 
except our subject. 

Charles E. Blankinship attended the pub- 
lic schools at Patoka until he was seven- 
teen years old. He then attended school at 
Valparaiso, Indiana, and at Eureka, Illinois, 
receiving a good education, having made a 
splendid record in each. 

After leaving school he went to farming 
on his own account. He inherited a farm 
from his father in Marion county on which 
he remained for a period of five years, mak- 
ing agriculture a paying business. He then 
moved to Patoka and became postmaster 
under President Harrison, and served four 
years under that appointment and four 
years under McKinley's administration. He 
made a most efficient public servant and won 
the approbation of all in the community. 



and the high favor of the Post Office De- 
partment. 

Since he left the office he has been en- 
gaged in the hay, grain and coal business, 
also has been handling farming implements 
and is still in this line of business which he 
has built up until he has a lucrative patron- 
age, his trade constantly growing" by reason 
of his sound business principles and his 
courteous and kind consideration of custo- 
mers. He is vice-president of the local 
bank. 

Mr. Blankinship was married on March 
9, 1882, to Albertine F. Clark, daughter of 
Henry I. and Mary J. Clark. Her parents 
were natives of Virginia, who settled in 
McLean county. Illinois. Her father died 
in Woodford county, this state. He was 
over eighty years old at the time of his 
death and he had been a soldier in the War 
of 1812. Her mother, a woman of fine 
traits, is still living at the age of eighty 
years. The subject's wife has one brother, 
two sisters and two half-sisters. 

Four children have been bom to the sub- 
ject and wife, namely: Leta C, whose date 
of birth occurred in January, 1883, is the 
wife of Robert A. Ward, and the mother of 
one son ; Dean Francis, who was born in 
.August. 1885, is now cashier of the bank 
at Patoka and is married: Nellie M.. who 
was born in 1887, is the wife of Albert J. 
Earl and the mother of one son; Clark J., 
who was born in October. 1898. is living at 
home. 

The subject of this sketch is a great Ma- 
son, belonging to six lodges in this frater- 



4' '4 



BIOGRAPHK \l. \\l> REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



nity, namely: Patoka lodge No. 613, An- 
t. Free and Accepted Masons, Centralia 
Chapter No. 93, Cyrene Commandery, 
Knights Templar, No. 23, Centralia Coun- 
cil No. 29, Royal and Selecl Masters, Ori- 
ental Consistory (thirty-second degree) 
of Chicago; also Chapter 253 Order 
of the I 1 tern Star, of Patoka. He 
is also a member of the Modern Wood- 
men, lit' lias filled all the chair- in the 
local lodge of the Free Masons. 

Mrs. Blankinship 1- a member of the 
Christian church. < )ur subject has long 
taken an active part in political and public 
affair-, having served as Supervisor of the 
township, also Township Collector. He 
was a member of the School Board for nine 
consecutive year-, and was Mayor of Patoka 
for two term-. In all these public offices 
he served the people in a most capable and 
praiseworthy manner, eliciting nothing hut 
favorable comment from everyone, and be 
cause of his pasl honorable record, his in- 
tegrity and his successful enterprises, to- 
gether with In- gentlemanly bearing to both 
stranger and friend, he is popular with all. 



ADEN KNOPH. 



Aden Knoph, the well known president 
.if the first National Bank; of Olney, Illi- 
nois, was born in Lawrenceville, this state, 
nber 18, [843, the son of Thompson 
and Lucinda (Brunson) Knoph, a former 
resident of Copenhagen. Denmark, when- lie 
wa- born, 'flu- latter was a native of ' 



'Ihe subject's father came to America in 
[830 and engaged in the mercantile busi- 
ness 111 Evansville, Indiana, operating a 
wholesale grocery in [835, which wasa large 
undertaking in those earl} days. In [839 
he located at Lawrenceville. Illinois, and 
continued in the merchandise business, lie 
wa- 1 >ne >if the original pork packers of that 
place, having built up an extensive husiness 
for that time, giving a market for most of 
the hoi;- raised in Southern Illinois. lie 
retired from the packing husiness in [855. 
In [859 he located in Vincennes, Indiana, 
and engaged in the mercantile business and 
in t86l he came t" Olney, Illinois, where 
he wa- engaged in business until [865 when 
he retired. He was successful in whatever 
he undertook and was a man of many ster- 
ling trait- of character that made him in- 
fluential wherever he went. He was called 
from hi- earthly labors in (867, at the age 
of sixty-seven years. Hi- lir-t wife died 
main- years previous and he re-married the 
sister of his first life companion, who passed 
awav in Washington before it was a state. 
The subject's paternal grandfather was 
horn on the day that Commodore Nelson 
bombarded the city of Copenhagen, I (en- 
mark. When he was twelve years old he 
went to -ea a- cabin boy and a- he grew to 
manhood he worked his way up until he 
became master of the ship and he made 
main- long voyages to foreign land- and 
was several time- around the globe. 

\den Knoph, our subject, wa- reared in 

Lawrenceville, Illinois. Hi- educational ad- 

g-es wen- limited owing to the re- 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES. ILLINOIS. 



495 



verses of his father and the death of his 
mother shortly after his birth. When nine 
years old he entered the store of his father 
to help with the work and he- stood on a 
box behind the counter when he measured 
goods. Yielding to his patriotic spirit 
when the war between the states began, he 
tried to enlist, but was rejected when he 
sought to become a private in the Eighth 
Regiment. Illinois Volunteers. He was 
later rejected by the Fourteenth and Twen- 
ty-fourth Indiana regiments. Still persist- 
ent he finally enlisted in the Ninety-eighth 
Illinois Volunteer Infantry in January. [864. 
This regiment was first assigned to the 
Army of the Cumberland, later to the Wild- 
er Brigade. He served in a most gallant 
manner until the close of the war, taking 
part in many closely contested engagements. 
In September. 1864. Mr. Knoph was pro- 
moted to sergeant and on December 5, 
1864 he was promoted to adjutant of the 
regiment. He participated in all the battles 
in which this regiment was engaged. He 
was wounded at Selma, Alabama, being 
shot twice through the left leg: one of the 
bullets he carries today. He was mustered 
out at the close of the war. July 7. 1865, 
at Nashville, Tennessee. 

After the war our subject returned to 
Olney and entered the store of his father. 
where he remained for about a year, when 
the business was closed out on account of 
the failing health of the subject's father. 
Mr. Knoph then turned his attention to the 
study of law. entering the law office of Hay- 
ward & Kitchell. where he remained for one 



year, making rapid progress. Mr. Kitchell 
was later colonel of the subject's old regi- 
ment. The father's health now gave way 
and lie met with financial reverses, so our 
subject began clerking in the store to assist 
in supporting the large family, during the 
year 1867-68. During the latter year he 
was elected Clerk of the Circuit Court, and 
was twice re-elected, but he resigned at the 
close of the third term, each term being of 
four years, after having given his constitu- 
ents entire satisfaction in the faithful dis- 
charge of his duties. He was a Republican 
in a strong Democratic county, but his pop- 
ularity was such with all parties that he was 
chosen without serious opposition for this 
office. 

Mr. Knoph assisted in the organization 
of the Olney Electric Light Company, in 
1887. and was its secretary and treasurer. 
He organized the Olney Elevator Com- 
pany and one of the largest and most com- 
plete elevators in the southern part of the 
state was built, having a capacity of sixty 
thousand bushels. Mr. Knoph afterwards 
became its sole owner. 

Mr. Knoph became traveling salesman in 
1880, for the Cincinnati Wholesale Dry 
Goods Company, giving his employers en- 
tire satisfaction and showing that he had 
much native ability in this line of work. 

In 1882 our subject was elected president 
of the First National Bank, of Olney. The 
honor came unsolicited and as a surprise. 
He quit the road and entered the bank and 
has continued as its president ever since. 
with a most excellent record, having built 



496 



BIOGRAPHK M VND Rl VIINISCENT lllsioks OF 



up the institution until it is regarded as one 
of the soundest institutions in the southern 
part of the state. It was organized De- 
cember 6, 1865, with a capital stock of one 
hundred thousand dollars, and its firsl offi- 
cers wore: Henr) Spring, president; \n 
drew Darling, cashier; the firsl board of 
directors was William Newell, M. ( ». Kean, 
1 1. 1 [ayward, J. II. Parker, Jacob Kramer 
and Robert Byers. In [877 on accounl of 
ssive taxation the capital stock was re- 
duced to fifty thousand dollars, at which 
it ha< since stood. In December. 1S85. tin- 
charter expired and was renewed. The hank 
first occupied a small frame building in the 
east part of town, but it prospered and went 
gradually Forward and in a very few years 
I,. 1 ami 1 me 1 if the solid institutions of the 
state, being so recognized generally. [1 
was moved to its present splendid location 
several years ago and a modern block was 
purchased in which to house it properly. 
It has the latesl designs in safety deposit 
and all other necessary equipment. 
The deposits in [908 are four hundred thou 
sand dollars, loans and discounts two hun- 
dred and sixty thousand dollars. The pres 
ent officers are Vlen Knoph, president; 
I >euel I lould, \ ice president : John T. Rat 
cliff, cashier; Nellie Levering, assistant 
cashier. 

In [878 our subject was a cand 1 
Supreme Clerk of the Southern District of 
Illinois, embracing thirty-six counties, all 
Democratic, but he was defeated. In [894 
Mr. Knoph made a tour through Illinois 
with Major McKinley, being an original 



Mckinley man. At the request of Mr. Mc- 
Kinley our subject became the candidal- 
delegate to the national convention from 
this district. After the election he rec< 
a letter from President McKinley, asking 
him to call at the White House when con- 
venient, for he desired to thank Mr. Knoph 
for his interest in the election. This he did 
later, and lunched with the President. lb- 
prizes Mckinley's letter very highly. In 
iNi)N Governor Tanner, who was in the 
subject's old regiment and a personal 
friend, sent a message to the subject ask- 
ing him to organize a regiment for the 
Spanish-American war. which resulted in 
Ins organizing the Nineteenth District Vol- 
unteer Infantry, and Mr. knoph was elect- 
ed colonel of the same, but it was not called 

on to go to the front, although it became 
well drilled and everything was in readiness 
due to the subject's untiring interest in the 
same. 

Mr. Knoph's domestic life began July 1. 
[869, when he was united in marriage with 
Carliette Morehouse, a native of Richland 
county, the daughter of O. B. and Mary 
i Elliott) Morehouse, natives oft Connecticut 
The Morehouse family was among the first 
settlers in Richland count), which then in- 
cluded a large territory. The father of 
Mrs. knoph was the first white child bom 
in the county. He was a farmer and later 
a merchant of Olney. He and his wife are 
now living retired. 

I he home of Mr. and Mrs. Knoph has 
been blessed with the birth of three chili 
namely: Ada died at the age of twenty two 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



497 



years; Edward, who married Mary Clutter, 
resides in Freeport, Illinois, being" conduc- 
tor on the Illinois Central Railway, and 
Maud married Edgar P. Cochennour, and 
thev reside in Pratt. Kansas. Her husband 
is a conductor on the Rock Island Railway. 

In his fraternal relations our subject is a 
member of the Masonic Order, being past 
eminent commander of the Templars. He 
is also a member of the Benevolent and Pro- 
tective Order of Elks, and belongs to sev- 
eral fraternal insurance societies. He is a 
member of the Methodist Episcopal church, 
while his wife beongs to the Episcopalian 
church. 

Mr. Knoph has always been in the public 
eye and his friends have often sought him 
for various public offices. At their solicita- 
tion he was a candidate for nomination for 
State Treasurer in 1904, and although he 
received a large vote in the convention, he 
failed. 

The home of Mr. Knoph is a modern 
and imposing one. His private library is 
next to the largest in Olney. consisting of 
many choice and carefully selected vol- 
umes. Because of his genuine worth, his 
past record of usefulness and honor, his 
honesty of purpose and his friendly dispo- 
sition, Mr. Knoph is held in high esteem by 
all who know him. and is regarded as one 
of the foremost citizens of the county. 



JOSEPH H. WALKER. 

The life of this venerable and highly re- 
spected citizen has been led along lines of 



honorable and useful endeavor and has re- 
sulted in the accomplishment of much good 
not only to himself but to those with whom 
he has been associated. He has seen the 
development of the West and has taken a 
leading part in it, consequently in his old 
age he can look back over a life well spent 
and for which one should have no regrets. 

Joseph Hill Walker was born in Beaver 
county, Pennsylvania, twenty miles from 
Pittsburg, October 19, 1822, and he lived 
there until 1848 when he moved to Jackson 
county, Ohio, and then to Marion county, 
Illinois, in 1862. Our subject is the son of 
William Walker, who was born in Beaver 
county, the old Keystone state, in 1773. He 
was a Democrat and a Presbyterian. Our 
subject is one of nine children, six boys and 
three girls. 

Joseph Walker obtained what education 
he could in the pioneer schools of his day. 
He bought land in Marion county and be- 
gan farming, but when the war between 
the states began he gladly left his work 
and his home and offered his services in de- 
fense of the flag, enlisting in the army in 
the quartermaster's department and served 
three enlistments as a wagon maker, one 
in West Virginia, one at Nashville, Tennes- 
see, and one at Little Rock, Arkansas, hav- 
ing been foreman of the wagon department 
at the last named place. He learned the 
trade of wagon making in Pittsburg, in 
which city he worked at his trade for main- 
years. After the war he returned to Marion 
county and resumed farming. He has been 
a hard worker and has made all the ex- 
tensive improvements on his farm which 



,,,N 



CIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY 01 



ranks well with Marion county's excellent 
farms. He has a good residence and barn 
and everything about his place shows thrift. 
Our subject was married to Josephine 
.Miles, who was born in Jackson, Ohio, Sep- 
tember 17. [834. She came to this county 
when twenty-six years old. There was no 
town where Venn >n now stands when she 
came here. She was the daughter of Bran- 
son and Angeline (Sargent) Miles. Bran- 
son Mile- was born in 1808, in Shenandoah 
valley in Virginia. His wife was born in 
Ohio in 1821. Our subject and wife mar- 
ried October 9, 1850. His wife and famih 
drove from Ohio to Vandalia on the old 
National Turnpike and from Vandalia to 
Marion county during the war. The follow- 
ing children have been born to the subject 
and wife. Angeline. born December 3, 1S5 1 , 
married Abner Moore, who is in the real 
estate and insurance business at Irving. Illi- 
nois. They are the parents of four chil- 
dren. Frank, the subject's second child, 
was born in 1854, and died in March, 1875; 
Miles, born August 29, 1N57. married Emily 
Johnson, lie i- engaged in the creamery 
business in Ewing, Missouri. They have 
four children. Thomas B., born February 
_■;. 1S00. married Mora Jackson, later mar- 
rying Mary Taylor, three children having 
been born by the first union and one by the 
second union. Thomas B. is station ag 
at Patoka. Ellen, the subject's fifth child. 
was born June 5, [864. She married 
Charles King, a factory manager in Chi- 
cago, and they are the parents of two living 
is; Henry was horn April 26, [868, mar- 



ried Mary Mealy. They live in St. Louis 
and are the parents of three children. 

Mr. Walker has devoted his life to fann- 
ing and stock raising with great success, and 
he now lives retired in Vernon. In polil 
he is a stanch Republican, having first voted 
for Henry Clay in 1844. although our sub- 
ject never took a very active part in politics. 
In religion he is a faithful supporter of the 
Methodist church. Mr. Walker is widely 
known in this section of the country and he 
numbers his friends by the score, for he is 
known to be thoroughly honest, a fine and 
friendly old gentleman to meet, making all 
feel at home who visit him. 



JOHN C. BR< )t KM AX. 

It requires considerable personal courage 
and strong resolution to sever the ties which 
bind one to home, friends, kindred and na- 
tive land and seek a home in a foreign 
country, where the language is unknown. 
where manners and customs are strange 
and where the future is uncertain, but John 
C. Brockman took the risk incident to such 
a course, nor has he been dissappointed in 
the hope which led him to leave Germany 
and come to the United States a young 
man of eighteen years at the time of his ar- 
rival, possessing no capital save a willing- 
ness to work and a Strong determination to 
succeed, winch he has admirably done, as 
we -hall see b} the study of the following 
paragraphs, which will show the ease with 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



V)<> 



which thrifty Germans come to this coun- 
try, achieving such financial success that it 
is astonishing to most Americans. It need 
not, however, be wondered at. The German 
is more industrious and less extravagant 
than the average American, for he realizes 
the value of money and hoards his earnings. 
He knows its power and ability to earn 
other money for him in the way of interest. 
The average American is much more a suc- 
cess at spending money than he is at getting 
or saving it. The record of Mr. Brockman 
is not only one of industry but also of 
honor. 

John C. Brockman. now living in retire- 
ment at Olney. Richland county, Illinois, 
was born in Hanover, Germany, January 
31, 1830. the son of Peter and Anna 
(Gieschen) Brockman, also natives of Ger- 
many, where they died ; the former was a 
carpenter and farmer. Our subject re- 
mained in his native country until he 
reached maturity and received a common 
school education. He came to the United 
States in 1848, believing that better oppor- 
tunities existed here than in the Fatherland 
for a man of his ambition. He first located 
in St. Louis, Missouri, where he secured 
work in a drug store, remaining in the same 
for a few years and giving his employer 
entire satisfaction. He was without money 
when he landed there, but soon got a start 
tli rough his industry and economy. Later 
he managed a confectionery store for a 
time. T11 January. 1857. he located in 
Newton, Jasper county. Illinois, and in 
[861, in company with Walter Patrick, 



raised a company for the Union army, our 
subject being loyal to the stars and stripes 
and espousing the national cause, giving 
vent to his patriotism in a most laudable 
manner. This company became Company 
K. of the Fifty-fourth Illinois Volunteer In- 
fantry, and he and Patrick became partners 
as sutlers of the regiment. Later the sub- 
ject sold his interest and returned home. 
Then he joined David Scott in the sutler 
business of two companies in the Hitchcock 
Batten-, also at a later date had the sutler- 
ship of the Eighth Kansas Regiment in 
which he continued until the close of the 
war. In the meantime a friend of John C. 
Brockman had taken charge of the treas- 
urer's office and was later elected to suc- 
ceed him. The friend made a settlement at 
the expiration of the term of the subject 
while he was in the army and even-thing 
proved satisfactory. 

After the war Mr. Brockman and his 
partner came to Olney in 1866. where the 
firm name of D. Scott & Company, jobbers 
and retail grocers, produce, etc., was 
formed. They also established a small 
stock of dry goods. They had a large busi- 
ness in a short time which extended to 
remote parts of this locality. They shipped 
the first carload of dressed poultry from 
Olnev or Southern Illinois. Just after the 
war was a time of high prices, and while 
thev did a big business for a few years it 
was usually on a falling market and not al- 
wavs successful, but it brought much trade 
to Olnev and helped immeasurably to build 
up the town. The partnership of this firm 



5oo 



B RAPHK \1 AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



was dissolved in [887, and the business 
! out. The subject then operated a 
and eating house which he successfully 
conducted for a number of years, llw res 
tan rant was popular and he fed large num- 
bers continuously. 

Mr. Brockman owns a fine business prop- 
erty on Mam struct and also a beautiful 
residence property, having retired from ac- 
tive business a few years ago, being one of 
the oldest business men in town. 

Our subject's domestic life began in 
[854, when he was united in matrimony 
with Mrs. Johanna Greninger, widow of 
John Greninger, and who had two children. 
Mary and William. She is a native of 
Switzerland, who came to the United States 
with her parents in 1845. locating in Si 
Louis, Missouri. Mrs. Brockman has been 
a faithful helpmeet. Five children have 
blessed their home, namely : Anna. Caroline, 
Louisa, Agnes, John F. They have re- 
ceived educations and all give promise .>i 
happy futures. 

Mr. and Mrs. Brockman and their chi- 
dren are adherents to the Catholic faith, 
and faithful attendants of this church. 

Mr. Brockman very ably and creditably 
] as County Supervisor for one term. 
during the time when the county was sued 
for two hundred thousand dollars in rail- 
road bonds. 

The splendid our subject has won 

in life is due entirely to his own efforts. 

There are few men who begun in a humble 

way as he did when coming to this country. 

can show as much fi ir their time and 



talents as he can. It is all attributable to 

the splendid qualities of head and heart of 
which he is the possessor and which he has 
so judiciously exercised. 



WILLIAM ELICE LOAN. 

Among the residents of Richland county. 
Illinois, who are especially worthy of no- 
tice as having been active in the improve- 
ment and prosperity of the county, and 
have built up reputations which shall en- 
dure for decades to come, none have figured 
more prominently in their respective com- 
munities or exerted a more beneficial influ- 
ence on those about him than Mr. Coan, 
whose life since coming to this county has 
been closely interwoven with the progress 
1 if the same. His leading aim has been to 
provide well for his own and do good to 
others, and those who have reason to know 
are authority for the statement that no one 
has dispensed his means with more liberal 
hand to the deserving poor than has the 
large-hearted, generous subjed of this brief 
review, whose long and unusually active 
life has been so full of incident and worth) 
deed- that it would he impossible here to 
set forth all of them in detail. He early 
realized the necessity for good citizenship, 
and with strong mind and determined pur- 
pose addressed himself to bringing about 
this deserved result. His life has been a 
power for <jood and his influence has al- 
ways been exerted in behalf of whatever 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



50I 



tended to promote morality in his neighbor- 
hood. When a mere boy he determined to 
become a good man and a useful citizen, and 
that he has successfully carried out his 
original intentions is attested by a long life 
fraught with so many beneficial results to 
humanity. He has always been optimistic 
enough to look on the bright side of life, 
partly due to the encouragement and sym- 
pathy of his worthy life companion, and. 
unlike the majority of old men, he still re- 
tains much of his youthful spirit and is 
popular with all who know him. 

He has indeed, borne well his part, and 
now as life wanes and he proceeds toward 
the twilight and the joureny's end, he car- 
ries with him the respect and love of nu- 
merous friends whose prayers are that his 
years may yet be many in the land of the 
living. 

William Elice Coan, the scion of a sturdy 
Southern family, was born in the state of 
South Carolina. November 16, 1826. He 
is the son of Isaac Coan, a man who bore 
well his part in the pioneer days of the 
old Palmetto state, established a good home 
and reared a good family. 

The parents of the subject of this sketch 
were natives of Ireland and Virginia, the 
mother's side of the house being well known 
and influential in their native locality. 

Air. Coan had little opportunity to ob- 
tain a high intellectual training-, owing to 
the fact that during his youth primitive 
schools were taught only a few months out 
of each year, and also the children of the 
pioneers were compelled to assist in the im- 



portant work of home building, but Wil- 
liam E. has been a close observer and has 
done much extensive miscellaneous reading 
so that he is well informed on general 
topics. 

When he reached man's estate Mr. Coan 
was united in marriage with Mary Ann 
Whaley, daughter of a sterling old Hoosier 
family, having been born in Pike county. 
Indiana. Her father was William Whaley. 

To Mr. and Mrs. William Elice Coan 
four children were born, namely : Francis, 
Allen, William and Malica. 

Mr. Coan has devoted his life principally 
to agricultural pursuits which he has made 
a success, having always been a hard work- 
er and economical, so that in his old age 
he is enjoying the well earned fruits of the 
labor of his earlier years. 

In his political relations Mr. Coan loyal- 
ly supports the Democratic ticket. 



HON. MARTIN D. FOSTER. M. D. 

An enumeration of those men of the 
present generation who have won honor and 
public recognition for themselves and at 
the same time have honored the state to 
which they belong would be incomplete 
were there failure to make prominent refer- 
ence to the one whose name initiates this 
review. He is characterized as a man of 
great breadth of wisdom, indomitable per- 
severance and strong individuality and yet 
in his entire life there has not been one 
esoteric phase, his history being as an open 



=;o2 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMIXISt K.NI HISTOID "i 



scroll, inviting the closest scrutiny. There 
i-. however, in him a weight of character. 
a native sagacity and fidelity of purpose 
which commands the respect of all and he 

has left his impress for g 1. while yet a 

young man. upon the political, medical and 
business circles of Richland county, whose 
interests he has ever had at heart. 

Dr. Martin 1). Foster was born in Ed- 
wards county, Illinois, September 3, 1861, 
the -"ii of Blashel and Emily (Houser) 
Foster, the former having been born near 
Lexington, Indiana, and the latter at Sa- 
lem. North Carolina. Grandfather Martin 
Houser was a minister of the Moravian 
church, one of the greatest, in fact, in this 
country, lie was a native of North Caro- 
lina and moved in the early days to Indi- 
ana, where he was identified with the early 
history of the state, having established the 
town of Hope, which he laid cut. lie later 
moved 1. 1 what i-^ now West Salem. Ed- 
wards emmty. Illinois. Grandfather Wil- 
liam Foster was horn in England, and be- 
came a minister in the Christian church. 
After coming to America he located on 
government land near West Salem, in an 

!y day, many English settlers having 
1 1 >me 1 1 the same 1< cality. < Grandfather 
Houser had eighl daughters. He drove 
from Hope, Indiana, to Salem, North Caro- 
lina, taking two daughters at a time, taking 
two every two years. They were educated 
in a female seminary there. He made sev- 
eral trips in that way. He preached on 
Sundays and farmed through the week 
days. He took up much land and became 



wealthy for those days. The father of the 
subject was reared and educated in Ed- 
wards county and became a farmer, rearing 
his family there. He and his wife now 
live in Monmouth. Oregon, to which state 
the\ moved in 1888. Five children were 
horn to them, all of whom are living, the 
subject of this sketch being the third in 
order 1 if birth. 

Doctor Foster was reared on the farm 
and received his early education in the 
public schools. Being ambitious he studied 
hard and later entered Eureka College. In 
1880 he entered the Eclectic Medical Insti- 
tute at Cincinnati, from which he grad- 
uated with high honors in 1882. He later 
graduated from the Hahnemann Medical 
College in Chicago in 1894. In the fall of 
[882 he located in Olney and began prac- 
tice which he continued for many years. 
his success being instantaneous from the 
first and he built up a very large business, 
his practice extending to all parts of the 
county, being known as one of the best gen- 
eral practitioners in this part of the state. 

He continued to practice medicine until 
he was elected Congressman. In the fall of 
1 90 1 he was a candidate for Congressman 
on the Democratic ticket from the Twenty- 
third district, hut was defeated in the 
Roosevell landslide. In 1906 he was the 
unanimous nominee for this office and was 
elected by a majority of one thousand three 
hundred and fourteen votes, and the able 
and conscientious manner in which he 
served his constituents soon proved their 
wisdom in his selection. He was on the 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



503 



Committee of Pensions, Alines and Alining, 
and he made a splendid record, especially 
was his work commendable in reference to 
pensions. In the fall of 1908, Doctor Fos- 
ter was nominated without opposition to 
succeed himself, and with one exception he 
carried every county in the district, includ- 
ing one county which Taft carried. His 
home township, which is one hundred and 
fifty Republican, he carried by three 
hundred and fifty majority, and carried 
the count)' by seven hundred and thirty- 
one. This shows his high standing and 
popularity in Richland county and the 
Twenty-third district. Doctor Foster was 
elected Mayor of Olney in 1895. for 
a term of two years and was again elected 
in 1903 for two years. During his incum- 
bency of this office he did many things that 
will be of permanent benefit to the city- and 
community, making a record that was high- 
ly praised by all. He served for four 
years as president of the School Board, and 
he was a member of the Board of Pension 
Examiners for eight years. 

The harmonious domestic life of Doctor 
Fostor began in 1888 when he married 
Alice Igo, who was born in Shelbyville, Il- 
linois, the talented daughter of Samuel and 
Catherine Igo. Mrs. Foster was called to 
her rest in 1889. No children were bom 
to this union. The subject was again mar- 
ried, his second wife being Lulu B. Cliffe, 
a woman of gracious personality, whom lie 
married October 2j, 1891. She is a native 
of Olney. the daughter of Rev. William 
and Martha (White) Cliffe. the former a 
native of England and the latter of Indiana. 



Reverend Cliffe was chaplain of the Ninety- 
eight Illinois Regiment during the Civil 
war and was a prominent minister of the 
Methodist Episcopal church for many years. 
He died in 1869. His wife is also de- 
ceased. 

Doctor Foster is a member of the Ma- 
sonic Order, the Knights Templar, being 
Past Eminent Commander of the latter : he 
is also a member of the Shrine, and is a 
charter member of the Benevolent and Pro- 
tective Order of Elks, No. 926, and is Past 
Chancellor of the Knights of Pythias. He 
belongs to the Modern Woodmen of Ameri- 
ca. He is a liberal subscriber to the Chris- 
tian church of which he is a member. Mrs. 
Foster is a faithful attendant of the Metho- 
dist Episcopal church. Our subject is a 
member of the National Eclectic Medical 
Societv and also the Illinois State Medical 
Society. 

Doctor Foster is widely and favorably 
known throughout the state, his abilities 
well fitting him for leadership in political 
and social life. The terms progress and 
patriotism might be considered the keynote 
of his character, for throughout his career 
he has labored for the improvement of 
every line of business or public interest with 
which he has been associated, and at all 
times has been actuated by a patriotic love 
for his county and her welfare. No man 
in Richland county is better known or held 
in higher esteem, and because of the high 
position he has gained so young in life, the 
future must necessarily hold much of good 
and promise for him. 



504 



BIOGR Mil CCAL \NI> Rl MINIS! ICN I IIISTOKY 01 



HISTORY OF THE ST. JOSEPH'S 

l \ I HOLIC CONGREG \ I [ON OF 

OLNEY, RICHLAND COUNTY, 

ILLINOIS. 

In the beginning of the la-~t century this 
section of the country was but thinly set 
tied. Most of the country was timber. The 
first Catholic settlement in this neighbor- 
hood was thai of Ste. Marie. In 1838, J. 
Picquel landed on the shores of this country 
fn>m Vlsace to seek for himself and 
countrymen a home in the new world. He 
journeyed on horseback From Philadelphia 
to Chicago, which was then a little town. 
lie did not tarry long hut started out for 
St. Louis, Missouri, from which city he 
came to Jasper county, Illinois. This sec- 
tion of the countr) with its wide prairies 
and extensive timber lands along creeks and 
rivers pleased him. He secured a grant of 
one thousand two hundred acres of land 
the government. With his few com 
panions he repaired to the spol he had se- 
ed fi >r his home. 

I M- first act was ti • erect a cross 
little hill and kneeling down he and his com 
panions sang the "Salve Regina," in honor 
of the Heavenly Queen. The spot was 
named "Ste. Marie." In the course of tune 
a church was buill and the spiritual wants 
of the little faithful hand were attended to 
from Vincennes. Later on a residenl priest, 
or rather a missionary, was located at Ste 
Marie, with headquarters at that place. 
ious missions in the surrounding 
neighb irln >< id such as Mi ( armel, F 1- ira, 



Carlyle and other- were attended from 
here. When the parish had grown to such 
an extent that two priests were required for 
all the work, an assistant was sent to Ste. 
Marie to attend to the outlying missions. 

Meanwhile the town of Olney had 
sprung up on the Baltimore & Ohio line, 
fifteen miles Southwest of Ste. Marie. 
Some few Catholic families from Ste. Marie 
moved to the new place. The Inst priest 
to visit them was Father Loghren. He 
came in July, [859. Services were held in 
a brick building, the so-called O'Donnell 

home. This house is still in g 1 condition 

at [22 West North Avenue. Father Logh- 
ren attended Olney until June. 1860. when 
Father Sandrock, pastor of Ste. Marie, took 
charge until February, [861. So far no 
services hail been held on Sundays. In 
February, [861, Father John Vahe) was in- 
trusted with the Olney mission. Father 
Vahey was a good organizer. It seems to 
have been his particular work to visil dif- 
ferent places with the result of establishing 
churches. His principal work in Olnej was 
to collect funds for a church building. 
Father Vahey was originally an Irish law- 
yer and vcr\ fond of debating He was 
called awaj in July, [861. For the next 
six months Father Sandrock had no as- 
sistant. The continuation of the work v 
left to him. He succeeded in building the 
church in the fall of the same year. The 
site was donated by Tom Lilly. The 
church was erected by the firm of Cuius & 
I utz. It was situated on what in now Fair 
street 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



505 



From January until July, 1862, the Rev. 
11. J. Koven attended to Olney and was 
succeeded by Father Thomas Walsh in Oc- 
tober, 1862. Father Walsh was a fine speci- 
men of manhood physically and a neat 
dresser. He left in December, 1862. For 
the next eighteen months no records of 
baptisms are found on the books. During 
this time Father Sandrock was without an 
assistant and baptisms were conferred at 
Ste. Marie. He would, however, occasion- 
ally come to Olney and minister to the 
spiritual wants of the faithful. 

In June, 1864, the Rev. James Harty was 
assigned to Olney as its first resident pas- 
tor. He boarded for the greater part with 
private families notably Frank Gillespie. 
Father Harty was true to his name, a 
hearty, genial gentleman, and a good 
"mixer." He was . in consequence well 
liked by both Catholics and non-Catholics. 
His health, however, was not robust. He 
stayed but one year. From July until De- 
cember, 1865, Father Sandrock again took 
charge of Olney. In December, 1865. the 
Rev. Patrick Dee was sent to Olney. He 
boarded with a family named Hines. He 
was a young energ-etic priest. During his 
administration of the parish two acres of 
ground were secured in the extreme south- 
western part of town and set apart for a 
Catholic cemetery. Father Vahey also or- 
ganized a private school for Catholic chil- 
dren with Miss Gillespie as first teacher. 
Father Vahey went from here to Alton, but 
soon after died in the St. Vincent hospital 
at St. Louis. 



Rev. A. T. David succeeded him in June, 
1868, but remained only until October of 
the same year. Father David was an elder- 
ly gentleman. In the fall of 1868 he built 
an addition to the parsonage, added a 
steeple to the church and placed bells in the 
belfry. Messrs. Gallagher and Schilt were 
the contractors. In January, 1869, Rev. P. 
Kearney came to Olney and stayed until 
October of the same year. He was ad- 
vanced in years. 

Next came Father Meckel, who is at 
present in Alton, Illinois. He had just ar- 
rived from the old country and was at once 
assigned to Olney parish. He was pastor 
from November, 1869, until August, 1874. 
In 1 87 1 Father Meckel built a school and 
engaged a private teacher. Heretofore the 
school had been conducted in the parsonage. 
He was succeeded by Rev. J. B. Molitor, 
who is now Rural Dean of the Alton diocese 
and stationed at Newton, Illinois. Father 
Molitor was in charge until January, 1877. 
when Rev. J. W. Merscher was called to 
Olney. In September, 1884, Rev. F. H. 
Budde, who is now in Mt. Carmel, took 
charge of Olney. He stayed until March, 
1888. During his time the mission of 
Stringtown was added to Olney. 

In March. [888, the Rev. J. B. Schnelten 
was commissioned to the congregation at 
Olney, which he faithfully held until No-. 
vember, 1906. In 1893 Father Schnelten 
moved the church building to the corner of 
Fast Chestnut and South Flliott streets. 
The property consisted of three lots and 
was bousrht of the Dowling estate and is 



5 o6 



BIOGRAPHICAL \M> REMINISCENT HISTORY OB 



favorably situated. \ new parsonage was 
also built in connection with the old church. 
In 1906 Father Schnelten resigned the pas 
torate on account of ill-health. He retired 
to Carrollton, Greene county, Illinois. 
Father Schnelten was ver) well liked by all 
who knew him. He was very genial and 
gentlemanly in his character and diplomatic 
in his ways. His successor is the present 
incumbent, the Rev. J. B. Henken. 

The Rev. John B. Henken was born Sep 
tember 4. 1870, near Germantown, Clinton 
county, Illinois, of German parents. He 
received his early education in country 
schools. At the age "f sixteen he began to 
Study Latin, and in the year 1 NSN entered 
the Franciscan College at Teutopolis, Illi- 
nois. The next year found him in Quincy, 
where he finished his classical studies. In 
1893 he took up theological studies at the 
St. Francis Seminary near Milwaukee. Wis- 
consin, lie was ordained priest June [6, 
[895. His charge was as assistant at the 
Belleville cathedral where he stayed one 
year. For the following twelve months he 
acted as substitute for different priests in 
the . viz: Four months at Ridgway, 

-i\ months at Damiansville, six weeks at 
\ew Baden, six weeks at Centralia. In 1897 
he was sent to Rosiclare, Illinois, as the 
firsl pastor of that congregation. Here 
he remained six years when he was trans- 
ferred to Sandoval, Illinois. Here he 
stayed three years, but through all that 
time he was in ; ilth owing to a siege 

of typhoid fever, in [906 his bishop asked 
him to take charge of Olney. During his 



Stay here father Henken has succeeded in 
erecting a two-story, brick building which 
now serves the manifold purpose of school, 
church and sisters' dwelling-. The school 
was opened Januarj 1. [908, with a roster 
of forty-five. In the fall of the same year 
four Ursuline sisters from Paolo, Kansas, 
took charge of the school which now has 
about seventy pupils. In February, [908, 
the furniture was moved from the old 
church building to the second story of the 
new school building which for the present 
serves the purpose of a church. The con- 
gregation now numbers eighty-five fam- 
ilies. The parish is well organized, having 
different societies which look to various 
need- of church and parsonage. The old 
church building serves as a hall for enter- 
tainments. All in all the parish is prosper- 
ing and bids fair to become one of the fore 
nio^t in this section of the country. 



VNDREW M. PEDDICORD. 

The life record of this venerable citizen 
of Patoka township is one of interest and in- 
struction, for it has been active, always so 
modulated as to be of the greatest service 
to those whom it touched. He has lived to 
see the transformation of a great country 
from the primeval forests and the wild 
prairies and he has performed well his part 
in this great work. 

\ndrcw M. Peddicord was born May 9, 
1822, in Mason county, Kentucky, where 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



507 



he lived in 185 1, when he came to Jackson- 
ville, Illinois, having farmed sixteen miles 
from Jacksonville, paying only two dollars 
per acre for rent of land, the first cash rent 
ever paid for land in that part of the county. 
He was at the first state fair ever held in 
Jacksonville. A few years later he came to 
Marion county for the purpose of engaging 
in farming. He first landed in Salem and 
bought wild land here, which he improved. 

Our subject is the son of Andrew and 
Delilia (Eaton) Peddicord, being one of 
fourteen children born to them, consisting 
of seven boys and an equal number of girls. 
They were said to be the healthiest and 
finest looking family in Kentucky. The sub- 
ject's father was born in Mason county, 
Kentucky, and the subject's mother was 
born in Harrison county, the Blue Grass 
state, both being representatives from large 
families. 

Mr. Peddicord was united in marriage on 
August 29, 1845, to Mary Foley, born 
September 29, 1829, the daughter of Daniel 
and Mildred (Mastison) Foley, the former 
having been born in Virginia and the latter 
in Kentucky. Ten children have been born 
to our subject and wife as follows : Daniel 
E.. born May 18, 1848, married Katherina 
Weeks and they are living in Decatur, Il- 
linois: William M., born November 27, 
185 1, married Mary Tune; they are living 
in Vernon and are the parents of six chil- 
dren, two children being deceased ; Mollie 
L. married E. Robinson: James L.. born 
January 1, 1854, married Belle Mann, they 
have one son and live near Odin ; Martha 



L., was born November 22, 1855; Ora An- 
na, born March 20, 1858, married Charles 
Tillman, and they live in Springfield; Clay- 
brook B. was born October 31, i860, and 
died in infancy; Charles M. was born Sep- 
tember 26, 1862, and is deceased; John 
Henry was born May 21, 1865, married 
Ulga Friar, and they have three children. 
He is engaged in the livery business at 
Vernon. 

Mr. Peddicord was one of those brave 
sons of the great Prairie state, who offered 
his assistance in saving the nation's integ- 
rity during the dark days of the sixties, hav- 
ing enlisted in Company G, Seventh Illinois 
Cavalry in 1865, and served with credit 
until the close of the war. 

Our subject is a great lover of horses and 
he has always kept some good ones about 
him. His place used to be stocked with very 
fine ones. He was said to have been the 
finest horseman in Marion county in his 
younger days. He had the reputation of 
bringing more good stock to Marion county 
than any other man. He was a well known 
character in his younger days, and is today 
possibly the best known man in the county. 
He was a loyal friend of Judge Bryan, 
father of William J. Bryan. Our subject 
saw the great Commoner when he was only 
three days old. Mr. Peddicord has been a 
man of thrift, unusual business ability and 
foresight and he laid up an ample compe- 
tence to insure his old age free from want. 
He has been living in quiet retirement for 
the past ten years. He has been a stanch 
Mason, having 1 been identified with the or- 



5 < ..s 



BIOGRAPHK VL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



der in Mason county, Kentucky. He is a 
good Democrat, but notwithstanding his 
ability and popularity he never took much 

interest in politics. Our subject lias been 
a very able bodied man in his day, Strong, 
of fine appearance and much endurance, but 
now his great weight of years is telling on 
him and his eyesight and hearing have failed 
considerably. He is an uncle of A. M. Ped- 
dicord in Carrigan township, a well known 
man whose sketch appears in full in this 
w > irk. 

.Mr. Peddicord has a comfortable home in 
Vernon. He gets a pension of twenty dol- 
lars a month. He has numerous friends 
who are always glad to pay him the respect 
due a man of his years and who has led a 
useful and influential life. 



IK i.\. THOMAS TIITI I. 

Illinois has been especially honored in 
the character and career of her public and 
professional men. In every county there 
are to be found rising above their fellow-. 
individuals bom to leadership, men who 
dominate not alone bj superior intelligence 
and natural endowment, but by force '>i 
icter which minimizes discourage- 
3 and dares great undertakings. Such 
men are by no means rare in the great 
Prairie state and it is always profitable t" 
study their lues, weigh their motives and 

hold up their achievements as incentives to 
greater activity and higher excellence on 



the part of others just entering upon their 
Struggles with the world. Such thoughts 
are prompted by a study of the life record 
of the gentleman whose name appears at 
the head of this article who has long been 
one of the prominent figures in Richland 
county whose interests he has ever had at 
heart and sought to promulgate. 

I Ion. Thomas Tippit was born in Olney. 
Illinois. June 6. 1851, and he has been con- 
tented to spend his life in his native com- 
munity. Me is the son of Matthew 1.. and 
Sarah ( Kllingsworth) Tippit, the former a 
native of Tennessee, and the latter of Ohio. 
Grandfather Tippit was a native of Vir- 
ginia, lie moved to Tennessee and in 
r820 came to Illinois and located about six- 
teen miles south of Olney, in what is now 
Edwards county at a point now known as 
Samsville. He was among the early pio- 
neers in that wild country, but he did not 
live long after coming to this state. 
Matthew, the oldesl of the two sons and 
one daughter, was only about si\ years ,,1,1 
when his father died. The family experi- 
enced many hardships in their struggle for 
existence. Matthew, by hard work assisted 
his mother in rearing the family, caring 
for his crippled brother and sister, lie 
had no educational advantages other than 
what lie acquired himself by home stud) 
The family located in what is now Rich- 
land county prior to the settling of Olney. 
They took up land, a portion of which is 
now within the corporate limits of Olney. 
Matthew boughl and sold much land in the 
county and eventually became well-to-do. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AXD MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



509 



In 1849 he went to California, having been 
one of that famous band who crossed the 
plains with an ox team. He remained in 
that state two years and was successful in 
mining-. After returning to Richland 
county he carried on extensive farming and 
stock raising for years and died on the 
place adjoining Olney at the age of fifty- 
five years, in 1871. His wife passed away 
in 1903, at the advanced age of eighty-six. 
They were the parents of seven children, 
five boys and two girls, the subject of this 
sketch being the sixth in order of birth. 

Thomas Tippit was born in a log cabin 
north of Olney. He was reared on a farm 
and received his education in the common 
schools, assiduously applying himself to his 
studies and took advantage of what oppor- 
tunities he had, and attended high school 
in Olney. When the subject's father died 
he took charge of the farm and he has con- 
tinued farming ever since, at present own- 
ing one hundred acres of highly improved 
land, all within the corporate limits of Ol- 
ney, also owns land in Wayne county. For 
years he has been extensively engaged in 
the stock business, paying particular atten- 
tion to horses, of which he is regarded as 
an excellent judge. Until 1890 he bred 
draft horses of a fine quality, but in that 
year he discontinued draft horses and be- 
gan breeding roadsters and trotters. He 
now has from twenty-five to thirty head 
almost all the time. They attract much at- 
tention, being of a high grade and well 
kept. His first horse to gain special prom- 
ise was "Redbrook," registered and sired 



by good masters. "Favorite Prince," with 
a record of 2-22 1-4, in Indiana and Illi- 
nois, gained some prominence and is now 
nineteen years old in 1908. "Royal Prince" 
is generally regarded as one of the best 
horses ever in this part of the state. Mr. 
Tippit has also bought many good horses, 
having raced them in a number of states. 
The subject is known as one of the leading 
horsemen of the state. He has a beautiful, 
commodious and modern residence, with 
well kept lawn and grounds. He also has 
large and convenient barns and outbuild- 
ings, in fact, everything about the place 
shows prosperity, good taste and careful 
management. 

In politics Mr. Tippit is a Democrat. He 
was Circuit Clerk by appointment to fill a 
vacancy and so faithfully did he perform 
his duties that he was elected three terms, 
having served over twelve years in all. He 
served as Master in Chancery from 1892 to 
1896. In 1894 he was elected to represent 
his district in the state Legislature, having 
been re-elected in 1898, 1902, 1904. Dur- 
ing his tenure of this important office he 
served his constituents in a most acceptable 
manner, showing that he possessed rare in- 
sight into the workings of the body politic, 
was conservative, careful and calculating, 
just as if he had been managing his own 
business, and his counsel was often sought 
and followed with gratifying results while 
he was a member of that body. Many 
things were accomplished by him in this 
capacity that resulted in incalculable good 
not only to the people of his own section 



5io 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



"i the state but throughout the common- 
wealth. * >ne of the most important acts 
of our subject was securing the adoption of 
a resolution providing for the submittal of 
the vote of the Legislature to elect a United 
States Senator b) direct vote of the people. 
He was candidate Eor Speaker of the House 
in [901 and was defeated by only two 
votes. In 1905 he was one of the four in 
his party for candidate Eor Speaker of the 
House, being elected and became by reason 
of his candidacy the minority leader at that 
session of his party. He was always 
active and among the leader- of his party. 
In [908 lie was also the candidate of his 
party fur election to the Legislature, and 
was successful in this race. 

Mr. Tippil was married in 1N77 to Eva 
I. eat. a native "f Richland county, the tal- 
ented daughter of George and Nancy 
1 Mo, ire) Leaf, natives of Ohio, who came 
b ■ Richland county in [854. 

The home of the snhject and wife has 
been blessed by the birth of three hoy- and 
one girl, namely: George M., who is living 
in Oklahoma: Mabel, the wife of H. C. 
Horrall, of Bridgeport, Illinois; Albert V. 
is living at home; Thomas, Jr., is living in 
Birmingham, Alabama. 

Mr. Tippil is a Mason in his fraternal 
relation-, also a member of the Benevolent 
and Protective Order of Elks, the Knights 
of Pythias, the Knights Templar and the 
\ncient V er Nobles <>f the Mystic 

Shrine, having been past commander and 
held other -tat ion- of the former. 

From the foregoing brief outline 1 
hii-v career, it i- not difficult to arrive at a 



just estimate of Mr. Tippit's character or 
to fix In- proper standing in the community. 
Beginning life in moderate circumstances, 
he has not only gained an honorable posi- 
tion in the business world, but has also 
lived to become a power in the political af- 
fair- of the state and one of the most influ- 
ential men in the development of his com- 
munity. Interested in all that tends to 
benefit his fellows, materially, educational- 
ly and morally. Ins influence has always 
been exerted in the right direction and 
from what he has accomplished along the 
lines to which his talents have been directed 
it is clearly demonstrated that the world 
has gained by his presence. 



AMEL LUCAS. 



The subject of this sketch, who is one of 
the well known farmers of Foster town-hip. 
is a scion of one of the sterling French fam- 
ilies whose presence in America has always 
been most desirable, for it is a well known 
fact that the French people are thrift}', en- 
ergetic and intellectual wherever found. 
therefore they always contribute much to 
the development of any country, and the 
snhject'- people were not unlike the rest of 
the immigrants from that country. 

Amel Lucas was horn in Southern France 
on January [6, [842, the son of Pascale 
and Louisa Lucas, both natives of Sonti, 
France, the former being a farmer and came 
to America in [855 on a sailing vessel which 
was thirty days in making the voyage, hav- 
ing lauded in .Yew York Ci'tv. He went 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



ill 



from there to Taylor county. West Virginia, 
and purchased a farm of eighty acres. It 
was partly improved. He lived on this 
place until 1871 when he sold out and 
moved to Grafton. West Virginia, where he 
conducted a hotel until his death in August, 
1892. His wife died in August, 1904. They 
were members of the Catholic church. He 
was a man who started in life in a small 
way and by hard work and good manage- 
ment he became well situated before his 
death. Eight children were born to the sub- 
ject's parents, namely ; Marie, Frank and 
Mary Ann. all three deceased ; Amel, our 
subject : Victor, who is living in Taylor 
county. West Virginia, on a farm ; John, 
who is living at the same place, is a butcher ; 
Albert is an engineer on the Baltimore & 
Ohio Railroad at Grafton, West Virginia, 
having been an engineer on this road for the 
past thirty years, in 1908: Louisa is living 
in Grafton, West Virginia. 

Our subject had only a limited education. 
However, he attended the common schools 
for several terms. He lived at home until 
he was twenty years old and worked at 
teaming for several years. He saved his 
money and in 1872 came to Marion county, 
Illinois, and located in Carrigan township, 
where he secured one hundred and twenty 
acres of land on which he lived, making a 
success at farming for ten years, when he 
sold out and moved to Foster township, 
where he got two hundred acres at first and 
being thrifty and a good manager, he added 
to this until now he has a very fine farm of 
three hundred and sixty acres. It was 
known as the old Lee place. The subject 



built a comfortable, substantial and commo- 
dious home, also a convenient barn and in 
many ways improved the place, making it 
equal to any in this township; everything 
about the place shows thrift and prosperity. 
He carries on general farming with that 
discretion and foresight that always insures 
success. He is also considered an excellent 
judge of live stock and devotes much of his 
time to stock raising, no small part of his 
income being derived from this source. No 
more up-to-date farm is to be found within 
the borders of Marion county, and no better 
farmer than Mr. Lucas lives in this locality. 

Our subject was happily married March 
15, 1870, to Sarah E. Osborne, of Mononga- 
hela county. West Virginia. She is the re- 
fined and affable daughter of Richard and 
Elinore (Britt) Osborne. They formerly 
lived in Pennsylvania, then came to West 
Virginia and lived there the remainder of 
their lives. Mr. Osborne was a wheel- 
wright, wagon maker and carpenter. He 
died in 1881 and his wife passed to her rest 
in 1851. Mrs. Lucas was their only child. 
They were known as influential and highly 
respected people in their community. 

To the subject and wife eight children 
have been born, namely : Theodore Britt, 
who runs teams and a dray at Cement, 
Oklahoma : Frank is a farmer in Foster 
township ; Lou married E. Lynch, of Foster 
township; Mollie is the wife of Isaac Walk- 
er, of Patoka township; Annie is the wife 
of Otis Davidson, of Tonti township; Os- 
borne, Magnes and Millicent are all living 
at home. 

Mr. Lucas served very creditablv as a 



rio,,i; veil u M v\l> Rl vi I \ IS( l \ l HISTORY 01 

menibei ol ' D '■'" 1 "' ' " u ' ' '" ''" ' ' Marion county, [Uinois, to .1 brief 

township for a period of twcntj years, dm synopsis ol whose in.- and charactei the 

m „ w i,ich the cause oi education in this following paragraphs are devoted, and while 

township received an impetus which had yel .1 young man has shown himself to be 

nevei before been known He has held able to luccessfull) compete with all classes 

othei minoi offices, always with credit. He oi men in th< business world. 

i s a | y a ] Democrat Ira ( Morris was born in Marion county, 

\h Lucas deserves much credil foi what \i.i\ -,. [883, the second son of William and 

he has accomplished in the business world, Elisabeth Morris, whose famil) v ■ -n --i^t <.-. 1 . «t 

having started life .1 pool man, and he has -i\ children. 

gained .t position of ease and prominence in 1 >ui subject attended the public schools in 

his communitj through his own unaided ef his native community where lie diligentlj ap 

f orts i, x hard work, good management and plied himsell and where In- made much 

sound common sense which always brings headway in his studies. He also went one 

tangible results when properij exercised, term to Alma College in Marion county. 

Because in- industry, his honesty of pur ^fter leaving school he decided that the life 

pose and his public-spirit and his loyaltj t" of the farmer offered the greatest ad- 

all movements looking i" the good of the vantages for a man of his temperament, con 

locality where he lives, he is highly sequentlj he soon entered this work and has 

respected bj .ill who know him, devoted Ins time and undivided attention 

in it ever since with the resull that he is 
todaj "in- of tin' most progressive and sub- 
stantial "t the younger farmers of Km 

1U\ C MORRIS mundj township, where he owns a fine and 

highly productive farm of sixtj seven 

it 1- a pleasure to investigate tin- ca- acres. 

of a successful, self-made man. Pe Our subject was united in marriage 10 

culiar honor attaches to that individual who, Laura Lewella Lambom, tin- pleasant and 

beginning the great struggle <>i life alone congenial daughter of 1 M. and Margaret 

and unaided, gradually overcomes unfavor- Lamborn, both natives <>\ Jasper county, 

able environment, removes one b) one the Indiana. The Subject's wife was horn in 

obstacles from his pathwaj to success and Indiana, being a native <>\ Jasper county at 

l, v ,i u . hi- own individuality SUC- Rens-.el.iei. November 28, 1882. Hei 

ds in forging Ins waj to the front and mother is deceased. \l> Lamborn is living 

winning for himself a position of esteem in Tennessee Mrs Moms has three 

and influence anion- In- fellow men. Such brothers and one sister living, all married 

rd, briefly stated, ^'i the popular with the exception of one "\ the brothers 



RICHLAND, ' LAY AND M U'lO 






She ■ ducated in the public school- of 

her native city and her subsequent 

n filled witli to othei 

a woman of grade »r and kind 

rted to anyone in need. 
'1 v. o children hi our bud- 

and a girl, namely: 
Vera L., v. I e of birth occurred April 

16, 1903; and Billie Morris, Jr., -our 

• -. old. having t>een \><>r\\ June 20, r.904. 
They are bright and interi children, 

who at- -ig ever d attention 

possible at the hands of their fond par<: 

Our subject is a loyal I at in his 

political affiliations, and while he <\ 
aspire to public office, he tal • 
interest in political matters alv. ting 

his vote for whom he da be the n 

honest and best fitted to fill local 
where the interests of the public must be 
conserved. Fraternally he is a member of 
the ' »der, Kinmundy Lodj 

398, and is junior deacon in the same. He 
a member of the Independent Order 
of Odd Fell 
at Kinmundy. 



THE JENNI] MILY. 

This old and well known family has 
so long in America that little of its 
; n be learned and it is not 
at country the f 
f the American branch came, t; 
from the name, the national it, 
to be English. Sufficient has been le;- 

33 



however, to 

tli< 

everal Bed 

of dif- 
fer* United and for 

p 

of the family I ired prominently in 

ithern Illinois. Israel Joiju::.- 
first ancestor of whom anythir.; 
kno 

of .Maryland, where his birth 
the year 1774. When a youth 

at 
bout [799 or : 
married na- 

ord. A 
living in tl.< e until aboil 

Mr. Jennmg 

entralia, the country 
at that time being a!- 

ith onl . ettlemei. 

disfc /art, the maj' 

ant •/;-. >A In- 

dia:, the 

tout HilL Entering 
•nent land, he at once 

rm and founding a home in which laud- 
': undertaking he succeeded admira- 
for in due time ily the les 

ing farmer and 

en- 
g and public 

hich this p 
e then 1/ f inter- 

that his entr nd 



5 '4 



BIOGRAPHU M. AND REMINISCENT HISTORY 01 



purchase of government land in what is now 
Marion county, and that it was made in 
1819, one year after Illinois became a state. 
Mrs. Jennings departed this life October 30, 
1N45. the mother of eight children, whose 
names are as follows: Israel, Jr.. who is 
survived by eleven children; George, de- 
ceased; Charles Waters, deceased, who had 
a family of eight children: William W. ; 
Elizabeth, who married William Davidson: 
America, wife of George Davidson: Mary, 
married Edward White, and Ann. who be- 
came the wife of Rufus P. McElwain. All 
are deceased. William W. died recently at 
Alvin. Texas. Mr. Jennings was again 
married, but the second union was without 
issue. He died August 7. i860. 

For a number of years Israel Jennings 
held worthy prestige among the prominent 
citizens of Marion county and took an ac- 
tive and influential part in the development 
of the country. He was a leader in many 
enterprises for the social and moral ad- 
vancement "f In- fellow men. a liberal con- 
tributor to churches and educational institu- 
tion- ami all laudable measure- for the good 
of the community found in him a warm 
friend and earnest advocate. He early be- 
came prominent in public affairs and in 
[827 was elected to the lower house of the 
I egislature, being the third representative 
from Marion county. IK- was one of the 
leading Democrats of the county and his in- 
fluence as a politician, together with valu- 
able service- rendered hi- party, made him 
widely known and led to his appointment in 
1834 a- postmaster at Walnut 11 ill. which 
position he held for many years, lie was 



more than ordinarily successful in business 
matters and accumulated a handsome for- 
tune, being at one time the largest land 
owner in the count) and one of the only 
two men in this part of the state to own 
slaves. A man of strong character, un- 
questioned integrity and upright Christian 
principles, he exerted a wholesome influ- 
ence on all with whom he mingled and his 
death, which occurred in the year i860, re- 
moved fn.ni Marion county one of its lead- 
ing citizen- and prominent men of affairs. 

Charles Waters Jennings, third son of 
Israel and Mary Jennings, wa- born Janu- 
ary 8, 1802. in Mason county. Kentucky, 
and accompanied his father to Illinois in 
1818, settling within a half mile of the lat- 
ter and like him becoming a successful tiller 
1 if the -oil. lie was married on December 
14. [826, to Maria Wood Davidson, who 
bore him the following children: Josephus 
Waters, deceased, who lived near the home 
of hi- father; Harriet married B. F. Mar- 
shall and died at Salem. Illinois. May 3. 
1901 ; Sarah married Robert D. Xoleman. 
of Centralia, both deceased; Mariah Eliza- 
beth, deceased, was the wife of the late 
Judge Silas L. Bryan, of Marion county. 
and mother of Hon. William Jennings Bry- 
an; America, deceased, married William C. 
Stites, then a resident of Marion county; 
Nancy, wife of Dr. James A. Davenport, 
lives in Salem; Docie, now Mr-. A. Van 
Antwerp, lives at St. Louis, Missouri, and 
/. ('.. who i- living near the town t 
Walnut Hill. Charles W. Jennings died 
August [8, [872. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



515 



Charles Waters Jennings was a man of 
high standing in the community, successful 
as a farmer and stock raiser, and his char- 
acter was ever above the suspicion of re- 
proach. Courteous in his relations with his 
fellows and the soul of honor in all his 
dealings, he measured up to a high stand- 
ard of manhood and citizenship and made 
the world better by his presence. By good 
business management he succeeded in amas- 
sing a sufficiency of this world's goods to 
place him in easy circumstances, owning at 
the time of his death one thousand acres of 
valuable land, the greater part improved, 
and the source of a liberal income. He was 
called from earth on August 18, 1872, his 
wife following him to the grave April 3d, 
of the year 1885. 

Josephus Waters Jennings, the oldest of 
the family of Charles W. and Maria W. 
Jennings, was born on the homestead near 
Walnut Hill. Marion county, October 29, 
1827. He was reared under excellent pa- 
rental influences, received the best educa- 
tion which the schools during his childhood 
and youth afforded and while still a young 
man. engaged in merchandising at Walnut 
Hill, to which line of trade he devoted his 
attention with gratifying success until 1856. 
Disposing of his business that year, he 
moved to his farm near by and during the 
encuing' forty-four years followed the life of 
a tiller of the soil in which pursuit he was 
also successful as his continued advancement 
bore witness. 

Amanda Couch, whom Mr. Jennings 
married on the 24th day of November. 1850, 



was born in Marion county, Illinois, Janu- 
ary 8, 1834, being the daughter of Milton 
and Nancy (Baird) Couch, early residents 
of the county and representatives of well 
known and highly esteemed families. Dur- 
ing the three years following their marriage, 
Mr. and Mrs. Jennings lived at Walnut 
Hill, but at the expiration of that time, 
changed their residence to a farm in section 
26, Centralia township, where Mr. Jennings 
engaged in agriculture and stock raising on 
quite an extensive scale and met with finan- 
cial success commensurate with the energy 
which he displayed in all of his undertak- 
ings. He also manifested an active interest 
in public and political matters and was long 
one of the leading Democrats and influential 
politicians of the county, besides achieving 
much more than local reputation in party 
circles, throughout the southern part of the 
state. He served for some years as As- 
sociate Judge of Marion county, the duties 
of which position he discharged very accept- 
ably, also filled the office of Supervisor sev- 
eral terms, and in 1850 was elected Coroner. 
During the Civil war he was Deputy Col- 
lector of internal revenue, later served as 
Deputy Sheriff and for several years was 
Justice of the Peace, an office for which 
his sound sense, well balanced judgment and 
love of justice peculiarly fitted him. His 
official career was eminently honorable and 
he proved an efficient and very popular pub- 
lic servant, adorning every position to which 
he was called and fully meeting the high ex- 
pectations of his fellow citizens. 

The children of Mr. and Mrs. Jennings. 



u6 



i: RAPHICAL AND REMINISCEN1 II Muia OF 



nine in number, are as Eollows: Mar) R., 
who married I. N. Baldridge, of Walnut 
Hill; Charles E., who is noticed al some 
length further on; Frank E., of Centralia; 
Daisy, deceased, who married O. V. Kell, 
also i t thai citj : I ton. \\ illiam S. Jennings, 
ex-Governor of Florida; Mrs. Nannie D. 
Stover, Mrs. Eva Shaw and Thomas J. are 
three living at Walnut Hill, and Mrs. Eliza- 
beth Wheeler, whose home is in Kalamazoo, 
Michigan. Mr. Jennings was a man of pro- 
found religious convictions and in early life 
united with the Methodist Episcopal church, 
of which lie continued a faithful and con- 
sistent member to the end of Ins days. He 
died November jo, 1890. in the full assur- 
ance of a triumphant resurrection. His 
widow, who lives on the old homestead, lias 
reached the age of seventy-six and retains 
to a remarkable degree the possession of her 
powers, both mental and physical. She is 
one of a family of six children, three are 
living. Robert Couch, whose home is at 
Marissa, Illinois, ami Porter, who resides at 
the town of Sparta, this state. Milton 
Couch, the father, was a son of James and 
Elizabeth Couch, the former a native of 
North Carolina and among the early pio- 
neers of southern Illinois. 



V.LEX W'ni'.K W. FISHER. 

\n illustration of skill as a farmer as well 
as the ability to concentrate efforts along 
some special line until success is achieved 



in that undertaking is found in the case of 
our subject, who is not only a successful 
farmer as that term is understood but has 
al>o made a specialty of breeding Poland- 
China hogs, Mr. Fisher being a standard 
authorit) in this remunerative industry. 

Alexander \Y. Fisher was born in 
Marion county, Illinois, on the [6th of Janu- 
ary, [870, the son of E. A. and Susan 
(Louis) Fisher, both of whom are among 
the county's substantial and highly respected 
citizens. They are members of the Metho- 
dic denomination and were the parents of 
a robust family of eleven children, of whom 
Alexander was the eight in order of birth. 
This family circle was one typical of its 
kind, the tie of kindred fellowship being 
strong, and the fireside brightened with the 
light of domestic happiness and harmony. 

( )ur subject received his early education 
in the Kagy district school, but farm life wis 
also an instrument in his trainings, develop- 
ing in him that sturdy independence and 
wholesome self-reliance that has character- 
ized his subsequent career. 

On August ("), 1890. Mr. Fisher was mar- 
ried in Nannie II. Stevens, daughter of Le 
Roy and Mary Stevens, resident of this 
county. She is the youngest of five chil- 
dren , is a woman of excellent tastes and 
refined judgment, and is proving to be a 
most excellent mother. In this latter ca- 
pacity she has adorned the home with four 
children, all of whom show the results of 
uplifting parental influence and affection. 
The children are: Georgia B.. born Octo- 
ber 27, 1891 ; Milton E., born January g. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES. ILLINOIS. 



517 



1894; Clarence S., born February 16, 1895, 
and Mamie M., born March 12, 1896; Clar- 
ence S. died March 31, 1895. 

Mr. Fisher owns and operates a farm of 
seventy acres, all under cultivation. It im- 
presses the visitor at once as bearing the 
marks of thrift and industry and shows 
economy in its management. The Fisher 
homestead is one where neighbors and 
friends find at all times a hearty welcome, 
and is surrounded with an atmosphere of 
friendliness and sociability. 

Mr. Fisher takes an active interest in the 
general affairs of the community and affili- 
ates with the Democratic party, but has 
never aspired to political prominence. He 
is satisfied to discharge his obligations as 
a citizen by lending his support at the bal- 
lot box to such men as will discharge their 
official duties with the utmost conscientious- 
ness and integrity. 



CHARLES EDGAR JEXXIXGS. 

The subject of this sketch has not only 
gained recognition and prestige as a promi- 
nent and successful member of the Marion 
county bar, but has also kept in touch with 
all that relates to the materia! progress and 
general prosperity of his home city, being 
km >\vn as one of the enterprising and pub- 
lic-spirited citizens of Salem, having con- 
tributed both by influence and tangible aid 
to all legitimate projects which have tended 
to conserve the best interests of the com- 



munity. In the legal circles of Southern 
Illinois, his reputation is second to 
none of his contemporaries, indeed there 
are few lawyers in the state whose success 
has been so continuous and uninterrupted or 
who have achieved as high distinction in 
their profession. Endowed by nature with 
in active and brilliant mind which has been 
cultivated and strengthened by much study 
and discipline, he has made rapid progress 
in his chosen calling and today he stands 
admittedly at the head of the bar in the field 
to which the major part of his practice is 
confined, besides yielding a commanding 
influence among the leaders of his profes- 
sion in other parts of the state. 

Charles Edgar Jennings, second child and 
oldest son of Josephus Waters and Amanda 
( Couch) Jennings, is a native of Marion 
county. Illinois, and dates his birth from 
January 7, 1855. After receiving a pre- 
liminary education in the public schools, he 
entered Irvington Illinois Agricultural Col- 
lege, where he took a scientific course and 
from which he graduated June 16, 1875, 
with an honorable record as a diligent and 
critical student. He taught one term in the 
public schools, prior to his collegiate course, 
and after graduating took charge of the 
school at Walnut Hill, which he had attend- 
ed in his childhood and youth, meeting 
with encouraging success as an instructor 
and disciplinarian and fully satisfying both 
pupils and patrons. 

Having decided to make the legal profes- 
sion liis life work. Mr. Jennings in 1876 
became a student of the Union College of 



5i8 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



Law, Chicago, Department of North Wes- 
tern University, where he prosecuted his 
studies ;md received his degree on June 5, 
1S7S. the diploma from this institution be- 
ing his passport to admission to the bar by 
the Supreme Courl without further exam- 
ination. This court being in session at 
Mount Vernon the month of his graduation, 
he presented his diploma and was duly ad- 
mitted to practice, following which he 
formed a partnership with the late Judge 
Bryan of Salem, which lasted until the 
death of the latter in 1880 and which in the 
meantime became known a- one of the 
strongest and must successful legal firms 
not only in Marion county, but in Southern 
Illinois. His license to practice which bears 
the date of June 11. 1878, was signed by 
Hon. Sidney P.reese. the distinguished pio- 
neer jurist of Illinois, this being among the 
last official acts in the long and eminently 
honorable career of this eminent man. 

Mr. Jennings was Master in Chancery 
from 1 885 to 1889, resigning the position 
the latter year to assume bis duties as 
State's Attorney to which office he was 
elected in 1888 and the duties ,,f which he 
discharged with credit to himself and to the 
satisfaction of tin- public for a period of 
twelve years. \ pronounced Democrat, he 
has long been a power in local politics and 
to him as much as any one man is due the 
success of his party, in a number of cam- 
paigns to say nothing of his influence in con- 
tributing to the triumph of the district, state 
and national tickets. As stated in the begin- 
ning Mr. Jennings has kept in close touch 



with enterprises and measures, having for 
their object the material progress and social, 
intellectual and moral advancement of the 
city in which he resides. He served a number 
of years on the local school board, part of 
the time as president of the body and dur- 
ing his incumbency, labored earnestly t<> 
promote an interest in educational matters 
and advance the standard of the schools of 
the city in which laudable endeavor his suc- 
cess was most gratifying. Believing knowl- 
edge when properly disseminated, to be for 
the perpetuity of the state and the happiness 
and best interests of the people, he has been 
untiring in his efforts in behalf of institu- 
tions of learning, especially those of the 
higher grades, and his advice to young peo- 
ple has been to take advantage of the oppor- 
tunities which the high school, the college 
and the university present in the way of pre- 
paring for tin- duties of life and the obliga- 
tions of citizenship. 

Since the death of Judge Bryan, Mr. Jen- 
nings has been alone in the practice of law 
and as already indicated he is now one of 
the leaders of the bar of Southern Illinois, 
with a Large ami lucrative professional busi- 
ness in the courts .if bis own and neigh- 
boring comities. The keynote of his charac- 
ter seems t , . be an intense and absolute fix- 
ety of purpose, a dominating resolve to rise 
and make his influence felt and in the court 
as well as the public arena, he has not l>een 
content to occupy a second place. He moves 
in only one direction and that is forward 
and the success and eminent standing al- 
ready achieved bespeak still greater ad- 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



519 



vancement in his profession and higher hon- 
ors in years to come. 

Mr. Jennings has been twice married, the 
first time on May 5, 1880, to Daisy Martin, 
youngest child of Gen. James S. Martin, of 
Salem, the union resulting in the birth of 
two children ; Hazel, and a son that died 
in infancy. Mrs. Jennings died July 12, 
1894, and on June 10th of the year 1903, 
Mr. Jennings entered the marriage relation 
with Maude Cunningham, daughter of M. 
R. Cunningham, of Salem. 

Fraternally, Mr. Jennings is a Mason of 
high degree, having passed all the chairs in 
the local lodge to which he belongs, be- 
sides representing it at different times in 
the Grand Lodge. He has spent his entire 
life within the bounds of his native county. 
has labored hard to reach the high place in 
professional circles which he now occupies, 
and in the true sense of the term, he is a 
self-made man and as such is certainly en- 
titled to the universal esteem in which he is 
held and the high honors with which his 
career has been crowned. 



GEORGE S. FYFE. 

Although the character of the immigrants 
that come to America today seems to be 
changing, yet there is not a single doubt 
but that in years past some of the most 
sturdy, energetic and progressive people liv- 
ing upon our soil were the ones that come to 
us from foreign lands. They have brought 
to us not only the spirit of thrift and en- 



durance, but have contributed to the loyal 
American spirit to a degree which can 
hardly be overestimated. Among the many 
worthy of mention in this connection we 
refer to Mr. and Mrs. George S. Fyfe, of 
Alma, Illinois. Mr. Fife was born at Dun- 
dee, Scotland. January 20, 1820, and his 
life experiences have been most interesting 
and varied. He became a machinist by 
trade, serving as an apprentice in his native 
town, at the end of which period he went 
to London, and there followed his trade for 
two years, but not being fully satisfied with 
the confinement incident to the work in 
which he was engaged, he kept alert for an 
opportunity for a wider experience and this 
came to him, when he enlisted in the Turkish 
navy as an engineer. His father, George 
Fyfe, was a sea captain before him and the 
son seemed to inherit the father's spirit for 
a life of travel and adventure. He remained 
in the Turkish navy for three years and 
during this time and thereafter he traveled 
in many countries, spending considerable 
time in Palestine and Egypt, sailing up the 
Xile from Alexandria to Cairo, where 
Moses was born, and where Paul wrote his 
speech to the Philistines. Here he saw the 
noble Egyptian obelisk, that famous shaft 
of stone that lay for centuries prostrate upon 
the sands, but which was later, at great 
expense, taken to New York and set up once 
more to mark the path of the sun by day and 
at night to point again to the same glittering 
stars that have studded the clear Egyptian 
skies since the daybreak of time. Here, 
also, he stood under the shadows of the 
pyramids, those wonders of ages past that 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCK.VI IIISTOIO el 



have been the marvel of mankind through- 
out all history. 

Mr. Fyfe also had a brother who was a 
sea captain, now deceased, and another 
whose home was in Melbourne. Australia. 

Alter coming to America, Mr. Fyfe spent 
-i ime time in Boston, and it was here that he 
was married to Miss Hutchinson Spinks, on 
February 5, 1852. Miss Spinks is also of 
Scotch descent, having emigrated to 
America from her native land when sailing 
vessels were the ones most used for cross- 
ing the broad Atlantic. Ten children were 
born to this union. 

When Mr. Fyfe came west he bought 
mostly prairie land from the Illinois Cen- 
tral Railroad. Mr. Fyfe now has a fine 
farm to show for his energy and application. 
Both he and his wife have used good judg- 
ment in their work, and Mrs. Fyfe, though 
seventy-seven years old, has never worn 
glasses. They belong to the Baptist church, 
although their parents before them were 
Scotch Presbyterians. Mr. Fyfe affiliates 
with the Republican party and through his 
calm judgment and broad minded experi- 
ence has done much to advance the cause of 
good citizenship in the community. 



Ill \m F. KELCHNI R 

When we state in an initiative waj that 
the honored subject of this sketch has re- 
sided for fifty-six years in Marion county. 
having devoted his attention to agricultural 



pursuits during that time, the significance 
of the statement is evident in that it must 
necessarily imply that he is one of the pros- 
perous farmers of the community. 

Henry F. Kelchner was born in Pennsyl- 
vania, September 23, 1828. the son of David 
and Elizabeth (Follmer) Kelchner, who 
were the parents of four children: Henry, 
our subject being the second in order of 
birth, lie has one brother and two sisters. 
Our subject attended the common schools 
in his native community in the Keystone 
state, where he received a fairly good edu- 
cation, assisting his father with the work 
about the place. As already indicated he 
came to Illinois in 1852. arriving here in 
the month of June and after working at 
whatever he could secure that was honor 
able and remunerative, he married on Jan- 
uary 11. 1855, Lucy C. Lovell, and to this 
union these children were born: Robert B., 
who married Belle Kitter. and to whom one 
daughter was horn ; Eugene married Hattie 
Samuels, living in Tazewell county, this 
state, and they are the parents of one 
daughter: Ida married George Asher and 
they have seven children; Katie married G. 
E. Brandeberry, and is the mother of one 
son: Harvey F. married Clara Millican, the 
daughter of Filmore ami Maggie 1 Porter) 
Millican. 

Henry F. Kelchner was one of the sturdy 
and patriotic sons of the North who be- 
lieved it his duty to do what he could in 
suppressing the great rebellion, consequent- 
ly he enlisted at Springfield, Illinois, in 
September, [861, in Company K. Thirty- 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



521 



third Illinois Volunteer Infantry, under 
Colonel Hovey and Charles E. Lippencott, 
as captain. His first battle was at Freder- 
icksburg and he took part in many other 
battles and skirmishes in which this regi- 
ment was engaged, always conducting him- 
self as a brave soldier. He was mustered 
out in Springfield in September, 1864, and 
as a reward for his faithful services he is 
remembered by his government with a pen- 
sion of twenty dollars per month. 

Our subject is the owner of a fine and 
highly improved farm, consisting of one 
hundred and thirty acres, sixty-five acres of 
which are in cultivation. He carried on 
general farming, but now in his old age he is 
leading a practically retired life at the home 
of his son, Harvey. 

Mr. Kelchner has always been a public- 
spirited man and in 1882 he was nominated 
on the Union Labor ticket for Circuit Clerk. 
He has very ably and acceptably filled the 
offices of Town Clerk, School Director and 
Township Treasurer. 

He votes a mixed ticket, always believing 
in honesty in politics and preferring to 
place the best men possible in local and na- 
tional offices. He is a Prohibitionist at 
heart, and he believes in a Democratic gov- 
ernment. Religiously he is a member of 
the Christian church. 

Although Mr. Kelchner is eighty years 
old he still has a very bright mind and is 
well read and keeps abreast of the times. 
Having during his entire life been closely 
identified with the interests and develop- 
ment of whatever section of the country he 



lived in. By close application to the duties 
which lay before him, he has won his way 
into the hearts of the people who know him. 



TILMON J. ROGERS. 

There can never be aught but apprecia- 
tion of the services of the men who fol- 
lowed the stars and stripes on the sanguin- 
ary battle fields of the South during the 
most crucial epoch of our national history. 
One of the honored veterans of the war of 
the Rebellion, who went forth as represen- 
tative of Marion county patriotism is the 
subject of this tribute, who has passed the 
greater portion of his useful life in this 
county. 

Tilmon J. Rogers was born in Maury 
county, Tennessee, February 24, 1842, the 
son of Jesse and Elizabeth (Alderson) 
Rogers, the former a native of Tennessee, 
where he was born in 1801. The latter was 
also born in that state, the date of her birth 
occurring in 181 1. There were ten chil- 
dren in this family, an equal number of 
buys and girls, our subject being the eighth 
in order of birth. 

Tilmon J. Rogers came with his parents 
to Marion county, Illinois, when ten years 
old, in 1852. The family rented a farm 
and made a good living in the new home. 

Our subject drove an ox team to break 
the ground in this county, and assisted with 
the farm work until he reached maturity. 
having gone to school but very little. How- 
ever he learned to spell, read and write but 



;jj 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISfKXT Ill-ruin ill- 



he never studied arithmetic a day, but prac- 
tice in the business world has been his edu- 
cator and he counts interest and all meas- 
urement- mentally. His first school was in 
I ennessee, a subscription school. He has 
always been a hard worker and is even now 
.1 strong man both physically and mentally. 
keeping well posted on current events and 
i- therefore an interesting conversationalist. 

Mr. Rogers was united in marriage in 
1866 with Martha C. Clack, daughter of B. 
B. and Cornelia (Vanduzen) Brown, who 
were the parents of seven children, six girls 
and one boy. Mrs. Rogers' mother was born 
in Edgar county, Illinois, in [825. Seven chil- 
dren have been born to our subject and wife, 
three boys and four girls, namely: Emory 
J., who was married to Lora Keller, is the 
father of two children, both girls; Laura 
Stella married Frank Arnold, and they have 
five children, four of whom are living, three 
boys and one girl; Vantoliver married Lu- 
ella Stevens, and they have one son; Henry 
O. married first Leona Arnold, by whom he 
has one daughter; his second marriage was 
to Edith Southward and one daughter has 
also been born to this union; Martha C. 
married John Davis; Nellie E. married Lu- 
ther Beard and they are the parents of two 
sons: Bessie T. died at the age of eleven 
years. These children all received fairly 
good common school educations and are 
comfortably situated in reference to this 
world's affairs. 

Tilmon J. Rogers was one of the patriotic 
citizens of the fair North who believed that 
it was his duty and privilege to offer his 



services and life, if need be, in defence of 
In- country's integrity, which was threat- 
ened during the dark days of the sixties, 
consequently he enlisted August 14, 1862, in 
Company E, One Hundred and Eleventh 
Illinois Volunteer Infantry, under J. M. 
Martin, and was in the service nearly three 
years, having taken part in many a hard' 
fought battle, being wounded at Resaca, 
Georgia, May 14. 1864. having l)een struck 
in the right arm by a musket ball which 
took effect near the shoulder, lie was in 
the hospital but a short time as a result of 
this wound. He was in a number of en- 
gagements while in Sherman's march from 
Atlanta to the sea. He was discharged 
June 28, 1865, at Washington City, after 
which he went to Springfield, Illinois, where 
he received his pay. then he came back to 
Marion county and took up farming, at 
which he has prospered ever since. 

Iii politics Mr. Rogers is a loyal advocate 
of the principles fostered by the Democratic 
party, and while he has never found time to 
take much interest in active political affairs 
his vote i- always cast for the men whom 
he believes will best serve the public inter- 
est-. In religion- matters his parents were 
Missionary i'.aptists on his mother's side. 
Personally Mr. Rogers adheres to the prin- 
ciples of g 1 citizenship and believes in at- 
tending strictly to his own affairs. 

He owns a valuable and highly improved 
farm of one hundred and eighty-five acre-. 
having lived on the same since the fall of 
[867, and during his lapse of years he has 
seen this county undergo great changes. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



5^3 



ORVILLE T. WALTON. 

The subject of this sketch has passed his 
life in Marion county, and as a representa- 
tive of one of the honored families early set- 
tled in this section he is well entitled to rep- 
resentation in this volume. 

Orville T. Walton was born in Patoka 
township, Marion county, November 6, 
1868. the son of Iradell and Louisa (Fos- 
ter) Walton, both natives of Illinois. They 
lived mostly in Patoka and Foster town- 
ships, having come to the latter in 1869 and 
settled in section 19. He first purchased 
sixty acres and later sixty acres more were 
added and then another sixty acres, still 
later, forty-eight acres, all in Foster town- 
ship and twenty acres in Patoka township, 
having always been a farmer, well known 
and highly respected by all ; an active Dem- 
ocrat, having served as Town Clerk and 
Treasurer, and he was a member of the 
Methodist Episcopal church. His death 
occurred April 17, 1897, and his wife passed 
to her rest April 27, 1900. The subject's 
grandfather and grandmother Walton both 
died of cholera in 1849. Iradell Walton 
and wife were the parents of eleven chil- 
dren, namely : Monroe, a farmer in Foster 
township, who married Harriet Friend, the 
latter dying January, 1908; Rosie Maud, 
now deceased, married Arthur Irvin ; Rachel 
married Marshall Livesay, of Foley, Mis- 
souri ; Lillian married Thomas Bundy, of 
Fayette county, Illinois ; Orville T., our 
subject ; Effie married Leonard Arnold, of 
Foster township ; Abbie is the wife of David 



M. Giddeon, of Slater, Missouri ; William 
A., who married Annie Crouse, of Patoka, 
this county; Edna is the wife of Charles 
Meadows, of Patoka ; Delia is a nurse, liv- 
ing in Foster township ; Robert lives on the 
old home place in Foster township and mar- 
ried Lizzie Ballance. 

The subject of this sketch had only a 
limited education, attending the home 
schools for a short time. He remained a 
member of the family circle until he was 
twenty-three years old. 

Orville T. Walton was united in marriage 
March 17, 1891, with Florence Chance, of 
Foster township, daughter of Willis J. and 
Matilda (Foster) Chance. They were both 
born in Marion county and lived in Foster 
township. They are farmers and have four 
children, namely: Florence, the subject's 
wife; Mary, the wife of Eli Logan, of Pa- 
toka township; Elza is a traveling salesman 
with headquarters at Clay Center, Kansas ; 
John is living at home. 

The subject and wife are the parents of 
two sons. Charles Addis, born December 
27, 1895, and Kenneth O., born March 31, 
1899. 

After the subject's marriage he located 
on the George McHeny place in Foster 
township, where he remained for one year, 
also one year on the Chance place and one 
on the Foster place. He then bought 
forty acres in section 18, the J. H. Walker 
place, where he lived for five years and then 
moved to Harvey, Illinois, where he lived 
two years, when he moved back to Foster 
township in the fall of 1907, locating where 



5 -'4 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



he now lives. He bought the John Chick 
place, consisting of forty acres. He was al- 
ways a hard worker and thrifty, consequent- 
ly he has been enabled to add on to his 
place until he now has ninety acres of as 
good land as can be found in this locality, 
which is well improved and managed so that 
abundant harvests are reaped from year to 
year. He raises good horses, cattle and 
hogs and carries on a general fanning 
business. He has & comfortable dwelling 
and convenient out buildings. He has al- 
ways been a public-spirited man and has 
ably served as school director and Town 
Clerk. He is a loyal Democrat and a worthy 
member of the Methodist Episcopal church, 
and is regarded by his neighbors as among 
the leading young farmers of Foster 
township. 



PROF. J. H. <;. BRINKERHOFF. 

The biographer in wrttng of the repre- 
sentative citizens of Marion county, Illinois. 
has found no subject worthier of representa- 
tion in a work of the province of the one 
at hand than Professor Brinkerhoff, author 
of the historical portion of this history, who 
i- known as a man of high attainments, and 
practical ability, as one who has achieved 
5S in his profession principally because 
he has worked for it. Ili^ prestige in the 
educational circles of this locality stands in 
evidence of his ability and likewise stands 
as a voucher for intrinsic worth of char- 
acter, lie has used his intellect to the best 



purpose, has directed his energies in legiti- 
mate channels, and his career has been 
based upon the wise assumption that nothing 
save industry, perseverance, sturdy in- 
tegrity and fidelity to duty will lead to suc- 
cess. The profession of teaching which our 
subject has made his principal life work 
offers no opportunities to the slothful, only 
to such determined spirits as that of Mr. 
Brinkeroff. It is an arduous, exacting, dis- 
couraging profession to one who is unwill- 
ing to subordinate other interests to its de- 
mands, but to the true and earnest 
devotee it offers a sphere of action whose 
attractions are equal to any and whose re- 
wards are unstinted. That the subject pos- 
sesses the qualities enumerated is undoubted 
owing to the success he has achieved and the 
high regard in which he is held by all who 
know him. 

Prof. J. H. G. Brinkerhoff was born De- 
cember 14, 1N44. in Hackensack, New Jer- 
sey, and he came to Illinois with his father 
in 1852, who settled in Grandview, Edgar 
comity, where the subject's father estab- 
lished a plow and wagon shop, which he 
conducted for four years. In 1856 his 
father moved on a farm where young Brink- 
erhoff was inured to the hard work of the 
farm on that day. lie was educated in the 
common schools of those early days when 
opportunities for higher learning were 
limited. Being desirous of making the most 
0! his life work, he later attended Steele's 
Academ) and the Kansas high school, also 
1 lie Indiana State Normal School. He de- 
cided to take up the profession of law and 




PROF. J. H. G. BRINKERHOFF. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



525 



subsequently entered McKendree College 
and received the degree of Bachelor of Law 
from that institution, but believing that 
teaching was best suited to his tastes he ac- 
cordingly began that line of work in 1864 
and he followed that profession with un- 
abated success for a period of thirty years, 
becoming known as one of the ablest educa- 
tors of this section of the state. During 
that long stretch of continuous service he 
never lost a day on account of sickness. 
For ten years he was at the head of the 
city schools in Lebanon, Illinois, and for 
the same length of time held the same posi- 
tion in Salem. Owing to his high educa- 
tional attainments, his close application to 
duty and his native ability in this line of 
work, he was a favorite with both pupils 
and their parents and his services were al- 
ways in great demand. 

Professor Brinkerhoff was united in mar- 
riage with Amanda S. Clark at Mascoutah, 
St. Clair county, Illinois, in 1873. She is 
a representative of a well known and 
influential family of that county. To this 
union seven cihldren have been born, four 
sons and three daughters, one daughter 
dying in infancy. The other six are all 
living in Salem. 

In 1878 our subject united with the 
Christian church and he has for many years 
preached the Gospel of Christ, as occasion 
permitted. 

Professor Brinkerhoff is a descendant of 
sterling old Knickerbocker Dutch stock, the 
founder of the family having settled in 
Long Island in 1632, and in 1685 he re- 



moved to a farm on the Hackensack river 
in New Jersey, which farm remained in pos- 
session of the family until after the Revo- 
lutionary war. The paternal great-grand- 
father of the subject was a lieutenant in the 
New Jersey Continentals and he was in ac- 
tive service during the war except for a 
period of eighteen months when he was a 
prisoner of war on the Jersey prison ship 
in the East river, from which he finally es- 
caped by jumping overboard and swimming 
to the New York side of the river. The 
family have always been patriotic, law- 
abiding and firm believers in the right of 
man to govern himself. 



HENRY C. FOSTER. 

Among the sturdy and enterprising farm- 
ers of Foster township, Marion county, is 
the gentleman whose name appears above, 
whose life has been one of industry and 
strict adherence to honorable principles, 
which has resulted in gaining a comfortable 
living and at the same time winning the 
respect of his fellow men. 

Henry C. Foster was born in Clinton 
county, Illinois, January 29, 1842, the son 
of William Henry and Nancy (Lowe) Fos- 
ter, the former of Georgia and the latter of 
Tennessee. William Henry Lowe came as 
a boy with his parents to Illinois and lo- 
cated in Clinton county, where they were 
among the early pioneers. They later came 
to Foster township, Marion county, and 



?-'' 



BIOGRAPHIC \l. AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



purchased wild land and made extensive im- 
provements "ii the same. The subject's 
father grew up in Foster township and re- 
ceived only a limited education, having 
scarcely any chance to attend school. He 
married here and lived at the old homestead. 
Although he al one time conducted a store, 
lie devoted his life to farming pursuits. He 
was a Republican hut never aspired to office. 
He and his wife were members of the 
Methodist Episcopal church. The follow- 
ing children were horn to them: William, 
deceased, married I Arena Nichols; John 
was m Company 1. One Hundred and Elev- 
enth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, who lived 
in Clinton county. Illinois, after the war un- 
til his death; Jane, who married David 
Nichols, of Foster township, the former is 
now deceased; Elizabeth, deceased, married 
David Nichols, of Foster township: Andrew 
J. was in Company F, Seventh Illinois Cav- 
alary, having served four years and four 
months, who located in Kinniundy after the 
war. where he has since resided; Henry C, 
our subject: Irwin \V.. a farmer of Labette 
county, Kansas, who was in the Union army 
during the Civil war; Winticld Scott is 
single and living in Foster township. 

The subject of this sketch had little 
chance of attending school. lie lived at 
home until he reached the age of twenty-one 
years. On September 30, [869, he married 
Cynthia A. Garrett, of Foster township. 
and a daughter of Moses and Hannah 
i.Monis) Garrett, both nan.' -1 Georgia. 
They were pioneers of Foster township, this 
countv, where thc\ devoted their lives to 



farming, hour children have been born to 
the subject and wife, namely: Charles H., 
who has always lived at home; Nola mar- 
ried S. Williams, of Foster township, and 
they are the parents of two children. Flossie 
and Relzia; Fannie C. married Jake 
Thomas, of Foster township, and they are 
the parents of five children, namely: James, 
Carrie, Nona, Eva and Van; James Emery, 
the subject's youngest child, is living in 
Foster township. He married Maude Hol- 
land, of Patoka, and they have three chil- 
dren: Basel, Waneta, deceased, and 
Harrell. 

( toe of the patriotic men of this state who 
felt it his duty to offer his services in de- 
fense of the flag was the subject of this 
sketch, who enlisted in Company F. Seventh 
Illinois Cavalry, at Camp Butler, where the) 
drilled for awhile, after which they were 
sent to Nashville. Tennessee. The subject 
was in the second battle of Corinth. He 
was on an eight hundred mile march from 
1 .agrange, Tennessee, to Baton Rouge, 
Louisiana, which took sixteen days, having 
been in many skirmishes all along the 
march, lie was taken sick and went home 
on sixty days' furlough. He rejoined his 
company at Germantown, Tennessee, and 
went up the Mississippi river and was in 
Tennessee until the close of the war. He 
was sick a greal deal and his eyes were af- 
fected, bavin-' lost the sight in the left one. 
He was discharged November 9, 1865. at 
Springfield, Illinois, after gallantly serving 
in the Union ranks. After the war he lo- 
cated in Foster township, and in 1878 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES. ILLINOIS. 



527 



bought the farm where he now lives, this 
having been his home since that time. The 
place consists of one hundred acres in sec- 
tion 23. He has made all the improvements, 
his farm now ranking with any in the town- 
ship. He has always been considered a first 
class farmer. He has a substantial and com- 
fortable residence and everything about his 
place shows good management. He is a 
Republican in politics. He ably served as 
School Director for many years. He is a 
faithful member of the Methodist Episcopal 
church. 



JONATHAN A. GREEN. 

The subject of this biography has always 
been an honest and hard-working man, and 
the success that crowns his efforts is well 
merited. He is liberal and public-spirited, 
well known and highly respected in the conn 
munity which has been his home all his life. 

Jonathan A. Green was born in Foster 
township, Marion county. Illinois, August 
13, 1867. tne son of Monroe Green, who 
was the son of Jonathan Green, of Tennes- 
see. He came to Marion county, this state, 
in an early day and secured government 
land, locating in Foster township. He 
cleared the land and made a home here, 
having always been a farmer. Monroe 
Green was also a farmer all his life. He 
was a member of the Cumberland Presby^ 
terian church and a Democrat ; was well 
known and highly respected. He was a 
soldier in the Civil war. having been a 



member of Company D, One Hundred and 
Eleventh Illinois Volunteer Infantry. His 
first wife was the mother of four children, 
namely: Jonathan A., our subject; Cyrus, 
a farmer in Foster township, this county; 
Anna, who married Elmer Arnold, of Fos~ 
ter township; Jennie, who married Samuel 
Arnold, is deceased; Eliza (Jones) Green 
was the daughter of Samuel and Mary Ann 
Jones. They were early settlers in Marion 
county, Illinois. 

Jonathan A. Green was educated in the 
local public schools, having been raised on 
his father's farm, where he remained until 
he was married December 31, 1885, to 
Anna Chick, a native of Ohio, the daughter 
of John and Lucinda (Carter) Chick, of the 
Buckeye state, who came to Illinois in 1875 
where the former died. 

Four children have been born to the sub- 
ject and wife, namely; Ora, Ola May, John 
and Dowe. 

After the subject's marriage he purchased 
his present farm of one hundred and twen- 
ty-six acres in Foster township, which was 
partly improved. The subject has made 
many important changes on the place, which 
now ranks among the best in the township, 
being very productive and producing ex. 
eel lent crops from year to year through the 
skillful management of Mr. Green, who is 
regarded as one of the best farmers in a 
general way in the community. 

Mr. Green has faithfully served his town- 
ship as Supervisor for two terms and has 
always taken a great deal of interest in pol- 
itics, having held many minor local offices. 



528 



B RAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



I raternally he is a member of the Modern 
Woodmen of America at Vernon, [llinois, 
ami was formerly a member of the Inde- 
pendent < >rder of < >dd Fellows. He is well 
informed on current topics and he is wide- 
ly known and liked in Foster and adjoining 
townships or wherever his acquaintance 

ids. 



I R \.\( IS M. KOBB. 

( )ne of the influential citizen- of Foster 
township, Marion county, is the gentleman 
whose career attention is now directed, 
and it may he said that the agricultural in- 
terests of the county have few if any more 
able representatives. 

Francis M. Robb was born in Kinmundy 
township, Marion county, Illinois, the pres- 
ent site of the village of Kinmundy. Sep- 
tember _'_'. 1S47. the son of Samuel and 
V.gnes 1 I'nntti Robb. the former of Ten- 
nessee and the latter of Virginia. Samuel 
was the sun of Eli Robb, a native of Ten- 
nessee, win, came t" Marion county, Il- 
linois, in [820 and settled where Kinmundy 
now stands. He secured land which he con- 
verted into a valuable farm and made a 
comfortable home here, where he died in 
[854 'if cholera, lie was one of the pio^ 
is of this county, lie was a Democrat 
and a member of the Presbyterian church. 

Samuel Robb, the father of the Subject 
■ if this sketch, was twelve wars old when 
his father. Eli Robb, came to this county, 
the former receiving only a limited educa- 



tion and lived the rest of his life on a farm 
in this county, owning a large tract of land, 
and he was a stock dealer. 1 [e was a strong 
Democrat ami was well known throughout 
the county, and his death occurred in 1881. 
The subject's mother. Agnes (Pruitt) Robb, 
was the daughter of Robert and Martha 
Pruitt, who came to Marion county in a 
very early day, about 1812, settling in what 
is now Mcaeham township, where they got 
government land, but later went to Mis- 
souri. Samuel Robb and wife were the par- 
ents of nine children, namely: Francis M.. 
our subject; Martha, deceased; William, 
deceased; Permelia; Eli. deceased; Robert, 
Mary. Edwin, and an infant, both deceased. 

The subject has spent all of his life in 
Marion county, where he received only a 
limited education. Tie has always been a 
farmer and is considered one of the best in 
the township by his neighbors. He first got 
government land in Kinmundy township, 
and in 1882 moved to Foster township, 
where he now lives and owns two hundred 
and forty acres on which he has made all 
the improvements and which he has devel- 
oped into a very fine farm, being well 
fenced, and the crops have been so skillfully 
rotated that the original richness of the soil 
has been retained. He has a substantial and 
pleasant In 'me, a convenient barn and many 
gOi «1 out buildings. 

Mr. Robb was united in marriage in 1867 
with Julia Lowe at St. Louis, Missouri, the 
daughter of Samuel and Margaret 1 Arnold) 

I. owe. both now deceased. They were na- 
tives of Tennessee, having come to Marion 



RICHLAND. CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



529 



county, Illinois, at an early date, locating on 
a farm in Foster township. 

Eight children have been born to the sub- 
ject and wife, named in order of birth as 
follows: Hattie, the wife of J. Arnold; 
Delia, the wife of Charles Doolen ; Margar- 
et; Agnes, the wife of Emmet Jones; Emma 
the wife of Guy Arnold; Lulu, the wife of 
Frank Jones; Ella, who died in infancy; 
Eli, who married Josie Ballance. a farmer. 

The subject and wife are faithful mem- 
bers of the Methodist Episcopal church. 
The subject is a loyal Democrat, and was 
Supervisor of this township for two terms. 
He has also held other minor local offices. 
He is a faithful member of the Masonic 
lodge at Kinmundy. 

Mr. Robb is honest in ah his dealings 
with his fellow man and public-spirited, and 
he has many friends in Marion county. 



JAMES McNICOL. 



The subject of this sketch is a member of 
that sturdy citizenship from the lands of 
bills and heather, bonny Scotland, from 
which rugged country so many hardy sons 
have gone forth to bless humanity in vari- 
ous ways, and he is in every way typical of 
those whose lives benefit all with whom 
they come in contact. 

James McNicol was born on the Isle of 
Arran. Scotland, in March, 1847, the son 
of Archibald and Anna (McBride) McNic- 
ol, both natives of Arran, as was also the 
34 



grandparents of the subject. The ancestors of 
our subject were farmers. Archibald Mc- 
Xicol and family came to America in the 
early sixties on the steamship Caledonia. 
They landed in Xew York City and then 
went to St. Louis county, Illinois, where 
Alexander McBride, the brother of Mrs. Mc- 
Nicol, lived. The father of the subject rented 
land there for a while, and then came to 
Marion county, Illinois, where he bought 
land two miles west of Patoka. This place 
was wild and consisted of one hundred and 
sixty acres. He later went back to St. Louis 
county, where he remained several years, 
after which he went to North Dakota where 
he secured government land in Benson 
county, living there for a period of eight 
years, when he sold out and went to Pierce 
county, Washington, where he lived with 
his children until his death in 1897. His 
wife died in 1896. 

They were the parents of five sons and 
two daughters, namely : May is living in 
Buckley, Pierce county, Washington; Mag- 
Buckley, Pierce county, Washington, as does 
also Alexander, who is a merchant ; John, 
the fourth child, married Mary Hulsey, and 
he is in partnership with his brother in a 
store at Buckley, Washington ; William 
who was a mill man at Buckley, Washing- 
ton, was killed in K)oo; Archie died at Pa- 
ti ka ; James, the subject of this sketch and ' 
Alexander are twins and the third and 
fourth members of the family. 

Mr. McNicol, our subject, received only 
a limited schooling and he remained at 
home until his marriage in the fall of 1865, 



53' ' 



B RAPHK \l. AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



to Ella J. Simcox, a native of Kentucky, 
the daughter of W. EC. and Agnes Rebecca 
Simcox, natives of Kentucky. They came 
td Marinii county, Illinois, in about 1866. 
and settled in Patoka township. The sub- 
ject's wife passed to her rest April 6, 10,02. 
Nine children were born to Mr. and Mrs. 
McNicol, one of whom is deceased. They 
are: William, a fanner in Foster township, 
who married Lola Caldwell; Archibald, 
who has remained single, is a ranchman in 
Montana; Mary is the wife of C. II. Ar- 
nold of Sterling, Colorado; Jessie is the 
wife of Luther Caldwell, of Foster town- 
ship; Agnes is the wife of Cyrus E. Arnold, 
of Foster township: Maggie is living at 
home, as are also James and Warren; Ruth 
is deceased. 

After his marriage the subject located in 
I oster township, Marion county, where he 
has since resided, having purchased land 
here. In 1876 he went to Benson county, 
North Dakota, and took up <>ne hundred 
and sixty acres of government land, where 
he remained for six years, engaged in farm- 
ing and stuck raising, which he made a suc- 
cess, lie sold OUl there and returned to 
Foster township, this county, where he pur- 
chased land, now owning an excellent farm 
of three hundred and fifty-nine acres, all in 
Foster township. It is under a high state 
nf improvement and is regarded as one of 
the model farms of Marion county, being 
in every way in first class condition and 
showing that a man of rare soundness of 
judgment and business ability has managed 
it. He raises abundant crops of corn, wheat, 



hay and oats. No small part of his income 
is derived from live stuck, for he is a mosl 
excellent judge of stock and smne line vari- 
eties of Poland China hogs and Red Poland 
cattle are to be Found about the place. He 
carries on a general farming business with 
that rare discretion which always insures 
success. 

While our subject has never aspired to 
office he has held several local public po- 
sitions, lie is an independent voter, pre- 
ferring tn cast his ballot for the man he be- 
lieves will best serve the public, rather than 
for the party, lie is a faithful member of 
the Christian church of Patoka. Mr. Mc- 
Nicol's life has been one of industry, 
scrupulous hiincstv and integrity. 



ALBERT G. PORTER. 

Among the enterprising and progressive 
citizens of Marion county. Illinois, is the 
gentleman whose name forms the caption of 
this ketch, who has engaged in various lines 
of business activity in this county and is 
known as one of the leading liverymen of 
the locality, at present managing an exten- 
sive livery stable in Kinmundy, while he 
maintains ;i fine home there, and the years 
of his residence has but served to strengthen 
the feeling of confidence of his fellow citi- 
zens. Although yet a young man. scarcely 
one-third of the years usually allotted to 
human life having passed over him. our sub- 
ject has shown what a rightly directed prin- 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



531 



ciple, coupled with honesty and integrity, 
can do toward winning definite success. 

Albert G. Porter was born in this county 
October 14, 1880, the son of Emmett D. 
and Rachael ( Henry) Porter, the father a 
native of Ohio, and the mother of Illinois. 
There were seven children in this family, 
all of whom lived to maturity. The father 
of the subject was a soldier in an Ohio regi- 
ment during the Civil war and after being 
mustered out returned to Ohio and soon 
thereafter came to Fayette county, Illinois, 
and after remaining there for a time came 
to Marion county. He engaged in the hard- 
ware business while living in Fayette county 
and when he came to Marion county, he 
went into the livery business and after man- 
aging the same for about two years he sold 
out and became agent for a marble works 
establishment. Later he handled fire insur- 
ance and became adjuster of claims, holding 
his position, official and otherwise, until his 
death, having faithfully served the company 
to the entire satisfaction of all its members 
for a period of thirty years, which is a sure 
criterion of his ability and integrity. He 
was fifty-six years old at the time of his 
death. The mother of the subject, a 
woman of many beautiful traits of charac- 
ter, is still living in 1908, at the age of fifty- 
nine years. There were four children in 
this family, all of them reaching maturity 
and all but one are married and have fam- 
lies. They are Harry E., who is at the 
time of this writing thirty-six years old, and 
a traveling salesman; he is married and has 
one child. Charles H., the second child of 



the parents of the subject, was in busi- 
ness in the city of Chicago. He is now 
in the fruit and poultry business at Los 
Angeles, California, having made a pro- 
nounced success of this business from the 
first. One sister, Nellie, is now the wife of 
Gus Elbow, of Oklahoma City, and the 
mother of one child. Her husband is an at- 
torney. Our subject was the fourth child 
in order of birth. He attended the common 
schools in Kinmundy. until he was nineteen 
years of age, and received a fairly good edu- 
cation, which has since been greatly 
strengthened by home study and by coming 
in contact with the world. He also attend- 
ed a business college in Centralia, Illinois, 
after leaving the public schools and thereby 
received a good business education. He 
also read medicine for one year, and then 
attended to various matters until 1908, 
when he opened up a livery business in Kin- 
mundy. which he is at present conducting, 
having built up an extensive business. 

Our subject was united in marriage on 
March 3. 1907, to Maud L. West, a native 
of this county, and the daughter of Charles 
H. and Rosa (Dillon) West. Mr. West is 
a native of Indiana. He was a farmer and 
stock raiser, having made the raising of 
Hereford cattle a specialty for a number of 
years, but is now living in honorable re- 
tirement, making his home in Kinmundy. 
having sold his principal farm, but he still 
owns several orchard farms, consisting of 
hundreds of acres. 

Mr. and Mrs. Porter have one infant son. 
Thev own their nicelv furnished home. The 



53-2 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



mother of the subject also owns her home 
and is living by herself. Mr. Porter is a 
young man to whom the future hold- out 
much of promise, being industrious, quick 
to grasp an opportunity, and it would be 
hard to lind among the younger generation 
of business men in Marion county, a 
wi irthier subject than he. 



GUSTIN L. EAGAX. 

The family of which the subject of this 
sketch is an honored representative has been 
known in Marion county since the pioneer 
period and the record they have made has 
been one of which Mr. Eagan can justly be 
proud, for his ancestors left a priceless heri- 
tage to their posterity, the memory of names 
and deeds which time can neither obliterate 
nor dim. 

Gustin L. Eagan was horn in Marion 
county, Illinois, in 1S57, the son of Henry 
and Margaret (Hatten) Eagan. Grand- 
father Isaac Eagan, who was born in Ten- 
nessee, came to Illinois, settling in Kinmun- 
dv, when a young man. He drove a stage 
coach through Salem and to the south, and 
later became a farmer and lived until about 
the age of seventy-five years. He was the 
father of nine children, eight of whom lived 
to be men and women. His wife was also 
about seventy-five year- old when she was 
called to her rest. They were members of 
the Cumberland Presbyterian church. 
Grandfather donated ground for the local 



church in Kinmundy, the deed having been 
made to the trustee of the Cumberland 
Presbyterian church and their successors, 
for the use of this denomination. The 
Presbyterians are now seeking to take the 
property from the hands of the original 
grantees to be used by the Presbyterian 
church. Grandfather Eagan was a Demo- 
crat, a man of industry, leaving consider- 
able property of value which reverted to 
his heirs. 

Grandfather Hatten was a native of 
North Carolina and lived and died in that 
state. Grandmother Hatten moved to Ma- 
rion county, this state, where she settled, 
after her husband's death. She lived to 
be about sixty-five years old. There were 
four child '-en in the Hatten family, one of 
them becoming a soldier in the Civil war. 
having served in an Illinois regiment, serv- 
ing out hi- time and receiving an honorable 
discharge. 

The subject's father was horn in Marion 
county and always lived here. He was a 
wagon-maker, also manufactured plows, for 
many years making all the wagons and 
plows used in this part of the country, fol- 
low ing his trade periodically all his life, also 
owned a -mall farm, lie was called from 
In- earthly labors when forty-eight years 
old, the subject's mother being only a year 
older than her husband when she was called 
to the spirit laud. They were Cumberland 
Presbyterians, and were the parents of ten 
children, eight of whom lived to maturity. 
Henry Eagan was a Democrat in his po- 
litical beliefs. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



533 



Gustin L. Eagan, our subject, was edu- 
cated in the public schools, which be left 
when eighteen years old, and began the 
blacksmith's trade. Following in the foot- 
steps of his father, be soon became a very 
skilled artisan and upheld the high reputa- 
tion for first class work that his worthy 
father had so long borne. At this writing, 
Mr. Eagan is proprietor of the Hotel Ea- 
gan, one of the most popular and conve- 
nient places for the accommodation of tran- 
sients to the city that can be found in the 
county, being known as a place of home- 
like comfort, and where courteous treat- 
ment is extended to all. As a result of these 
facts this house has become widely known 
to the traveling public, and Mr. Eagan en- 
joys a liberal patronage. Besides this line 
of business he still successfully conducts his 
blacksmith shop, enjoying, as usual, a lib- 
eral patronage from Kinmundy and sur- 
rounding country. He has been able to lay 
by a comfortable competency for his old 
age. 

Mr. Eagan was united in marriage in 
1889 to Jennie Darney. a native of Ohio, 
whose father died in Illinois, after which 
event the mother of Mrs. Eagan moved 
back to Ohio, where she died. Mr. Dar- 
ney came to America from France. He was 
a soldier, having seen service in the Franco- 
German war. The family of our subject 
and wife consists of four interesting chil- 
dren, named as follows: Beulah. who was 
born in 1891, is the wife of F. H. Spillman, 
and the mother of one child; Mascelline, 
who was born in 1893. graduated from the 



local schools in 1907; Lawrence was born 
in 1895, and is living at home; Henry was 
bom in 1897, died in infancy. 

In his fraternal relations he is a member 
of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows 
and the Knights of Pythias. In politics he 
is a stanch Democrat, and faithfully served 
as Alderman for a number of years. He 
has also been Trustee, Collector and Super- 
visor. Mr. Eagan was Mayor of Kin- 
mundy from 1906 to 1908. In all these of- 
ficial capacities he discharged his duties 
with great credit to himself and to the entire 
satisfaction of all concerned. He is held 
in high favor by the people of Marion 
county, where he is well known and where 
he labors for the advancement of the gen- 
eral eood. 



SEYMOUR ANDREWS. 

Nearly a century has dissolved in the 
mists of time, the most remarkable century 
in all of the history of the race of mankind, 
since our honored and venerable subject first 
saw the light of day. Heaven has bounte- 
ously lengthened out his life until he has 
seen the crowning glory of this the most 
wonderful epoch of all the aeons of time, 
rewarding him with an unusual span of 
years as the result of virtuous and consist- 
ent living in his youth and years of his man- 
hood, until now in the golden evening of 
his life, surrounded by comfort and plenty 
as a result of his earlier years of industry 
and frugality, Mr. Andrews can take a ret- 



534 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



rospective glance down the corridors of the 
relentless and irrevocable past and feel that 
his has been an eminently useful, successful 
and happy life, a life which was not devoid 
of obstacle and whose rose held many a 
thorn, but with indomitable courage he 
pressed onward with his face set in deter- 
mination toward the distant goal which he 
has so grandly won ; a life of sunshine and 
shadow, of victory and defeat, but nobly 
lived and worthily rewarded as such lives 
always are by the Giver of all good and pre- 
cious gifts, who has given our subject the 
longest span of years of any citizen in Ma- 
rion county, Illinois, a great gift, indeed, of 
which Mr. Andrews is duly grateful. He 
was one of the hardy pioneers, a member of 
the famous band of "forty-niners" who 
crossed the trackless plains that stretched 
to the "sundown seas," whose courageous 
feats have been sung in song and exploited 
in story, for "there were giants in those 
days." 

Seymour Andrews was born in Jefferson 
county, Illinois, January 17, 1825, the son 
of Nelson and Jane (Gaston) Andrews, the 
former a native of Oneida county, New 
York, where he was born in 1799. There 
were ten children in his family, an equal 
number of boys and girls, of whom our sub- 
ject is the oldest in order of birth. The sub- 
ject's mother, who was born in South Caro- 
lina, was one of a family of eight chil- 
dren. Nelson Andrews came west with 
his parents in [819, and settled in 
Jefferson county. Illinois. They built 
a raft in Olean. New York, constructed a 



rude cabin on it and floated down the Mo- 
nongahela river to Cincinnati. This was in 
1818. They stopped and made shingles and 
sold timber and rafts. They made a flat boat 
there and floated to Shawneetown, where 
they hitched their two ponies onto a large 
wagon and drove to the vicinity of what is 
now known as Dix, Jefferson county. Arra 
Andrews, brother of Nelson Andrews, who 
is the father of Seymour Andrews, made the 
first plat of Salem and surveyed it. Jane 
( i.iston's father, Samuel Gaston, the grand- 
father of Seymour Andrews, was one of the 
first commissioners appointed by the gov- 
ernment to locate the county seat of Clinton 
county, which is Carlyle, Illinois. 

During the days of Nelson and Jane An- 
drews a company of Rangers visited this 
part of the state between the years 1820 and 
1825. They drove out the Goings family 
from Jefferson county by whip. Members 
of this family were said to be noted coun- 
terfeiters, horse thieves and harbored all 
such people at their home near that of Sam- 
uel Gaston, the maternal grandfather of our 
subject. 

Seymour Andrews was married to Mar- 
tha C. Ilendrixon, of Jefferson county, Illi- 
nois, August 15, 1844, and they are now, 
1908, the oldest married couple in this coun- 
ty, having enjoyed a harmonious wedded 
life of over sixty-four years; they are both 
in fairly good health and enjoying a se- 
rene and comfortable old age. The follow- 
ing children were born to them : Harvey T., 
deceased; Elizabeth J., deceased, married 
John Morsman and had one son, Charles, a 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



535 



dentist in Minnesota; Truman B. mar- 
ried Amanda McClellan and has three 
children, all married; Sidney W. married 
Belle Mathews and is living in Arkansas, 
where he is postmaster at Walnut Ridge, 
and is the father of two children ; Margaret 
married G. J. Goetch, of Centralia, Illinois, 
and she is the mother of two children ; Ida 
L. married T. L. Baltzell, who lives in Los 
Angeles, California; Altha married G. C. 
Matsler, of Centralia, and lives with her par- 
ents, her husband being a telegraph operator 
on the Chicago, Burlington & Ouincy Rail- 
road ; the eighth and ninth children both 
died in infancy. 

As already indicated Mr. Andrews 
crossed the plains to California before the 
days of the trans-continental railways. This 
was in 1850 and the trip was made with an 
ox team, in company with John Parkinson, 
James Parkinson and Preston McCullough. 
They left Walnut Hill April 3, 1850, with 
four yoke of oxen and arrived in California 
after much hardship and adventure August 
10th, the same year, having been on the road 
over four months. They wintered four 
miles from the famous Sutter mill and 
crossed the old ditch where gold was first 
discovered many times. 

Having been a hard worker and an indus- 
trious man all his life, Mr. Andrews always 
made a comfortable living and was enabled 
to lay up a competency to insure his old age 
free from want. He has faithfully and ably 
served his community as Justice of the Peace 
for the past sixteen years. He is also a 
notary public and handles a successful line 
of fire insurance. 



The parents of the subject belonged to 
the Christian church, but our subject is not 
a member of any orthodox church. Howev- 
er, he is a believer in the principles of the 
golden rule and in good to all men. In poli- 
tics he cast his first Democratic ballots in 
1848 and 1852, but upon the organization 
of the Republican party became a stanch 
supporter of the same and has always main- 
tained the same political faith. 



SAMUEL L. DWIGHT. 

One of the central figures of the judiciary 
of southern Illinois is the honorable gentle- 
man whose name forms the subject of this 
review. Prominent in legal circles and 
equally so in public matters beyond the con- 
fines of his own jurisdiction, with a repu- 
tation in one of the most exacting of pro- 
fessions that has won him a name for dis- 
tinguished service second to that of none of 
his contemporaries, there is today no more 
prominent or highly esteemed man in Ma- 
rion county, which he has long dignified 
with his citizenship. 

Samuel L. Dwight was born March 15, 
1841, at Mount Vernon. Jefferson county, 
Illinois, the son of Lewis and Mahala Pen- 
nington (Casey) Dwight. The subject's 
mother was the daughter of Governor Za- 
doc Casey, of Illinois. She was born while 
her father was a member of the Legislature 
at Vandalia, capitol of Illinois at that time. 
He originated the bill to create the county 
of Marion, naming the same after his fa- 
ther's Revolutionary commander, Francis 



536 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT IIISTOKY OF 



.Marion, of historic fame. Lewis Dwight 
was born in Massachusetts and educated in 
that state. However, lie graduated at Yale 
University, after which he came to Jeffer- 
son county, Illinois, and taught school for 
a number of years. He died at the age of 
seventy years, after a very useful and ac- 
tive life. Samuel L. Dwight was reared 
with the family of Governor Casey and was 
educated in the public schools of Mount Ver- 
non. Illinois, having taken one year's course 
of study at Mr Ken dree College. Being am- 
bitious from the first, he applied himself in 
a most diligent manner to his studies and 
became well educated. Early deciding to 
enter the law as a profession, he began the 
study of the same with Tanner and Casey 
at Mount Vemon. Rut when our national 
horizon was darkened with the clouds of re- 
bellion in the early sixties our subject left 
Blackstone behind, severed home ties and 
offered his services in defense of his coun- 
try's integrity, having enlisted in Company 
I, Sixtieth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and 
so gallant were his services that he was mus- 
tered out at the close of the war as captain 
of the same company. He served one and 
oik- half years, having taken part in many 
engagements and faithfully performing 
what service he could. 

After his career in the army Mr. Dwight. 
in July. [866, left the farm at Mount Ver- 
non. Illinois, and resumed the study of law. 
this time under his uncle. Colonel Lewis K. 
ey, who had married an aunt of Samuel 
I'".. Dwight. and the daughter of Governor 

ey. 



Our subject was admitted to the bar in 
1868. and he entered into partnership with 
Colonel Casey, with whom he continued in 
a most successful manner until the death of 
Colonel Casey early in the eighties, the pres- 
tige of this firm having gradually grown 
until their practice was erpial to that of any 
other firm in the county. 

In 1870 Samuel L. Dwight was elected a 
member of the lower house of the Twenty- 
seventh General Assembly and served to the 
entire satisfaction of his constituents for 
one term. After the death of his former law- 
partner he carried on the business of the 
firm successfully, practicing law in all the 
local courts until 1897. when he was elected 
to the bench of the Fourth Judicial Circuit 
of Illinois, and so faithfuly did he discharge 
the duties of the same that he was re-elected 
to the office in 1903 for another term of six 
years, and is, therefore, at this writing, 1908, 
still holding the position. His tenure of of- 
fice has been marked by a remarkable clear- 
ness of decision and fairness to all parties, 
his decisions having seldom met with disap- 
proval at the hands of a higher tribunal, for 
he came to the bench well qualified for its 
exacting duties and responsibilities ami from 
the beginning his judicial career was char- 
acterized by such a profound knowledge of 
the law and an earnest and conscientious de- 
sire to apply it impartially that he was not 
long in gaining the respect and confidence 
of the attorneys and litigants and earning 
for himself an honorable reputation among 
the leading jurists of the state. From the 
first his labors were very arduous and many 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



537 



important cases were tried in his court, in 
addition to which he was also frequently 
called to other circuits to sit on cases in 
which larger interests were involved. 

The happy and harmonious domestic life 
of Judge Dwight dates from September 4, 
1872, when he was married to M. Irene 
Noleman, the cultured and accomplished 
daughter of Capt. R. D. Noleman and Sarah 
A. Jennings, the mother of Mrs. Dwight 
having been the daughter of Charles W. 
Jennings. R. D. Noleman was for many 
years a leading citizen and business man of 
Centralia. 

Fraternally Judge Dwight is a member 
of the Masonic Order, the Knights of Py- 
thias, the Independent Order of Odd Fel- 
lows, the Benevolent and Protective Order 
of Elks, the Grand Army of the Republic 
and the Modern Woodmen. Both he and 
his wife are members of the Methodist Epis- 
copal church. Their beautiful home is fre- 
quently the gathering place for numerous 
friends and admirers of Mr. and Mrs. 
Dwight. 

Judge S. L. Dwight is ready at all 
times to make any reasonable sacrifice for 
the cause in which his interests are enlisted. 
He is not only an able and reliable coun- 
selor, with a thorough acquaintance of the 
principles, intricacies and complexities of 
jurisprudence, but his honesty is such that 
he has frequently advised against long and 
expensive litigation, and this, too, at the 
loss of liberal fees which he could otherwise 
have earned. His treatment of the case he 
has in hand is always full of comprehension 



and accurate, his analysis of the facts clear 
and exhaustive, and he seems to grasp with- 
out effort the relation and dependence of the 
facts, and so groups them as to enable him 
to throw their combined force upon the 
point the)' intend to prove. He is, withal, a 
man of the people, proud of his distinction 
as a citizen of a state and nation for whose 
laws and institutions he has the most pro- 
found admiration and respect. 



DOUGLAS C. BROWN. 

Every human being either submits to the 
controlling influence of others or wields an 
influence which touches, controls, guides or 
misdirects others. If he be honest and suc- 
cessful in his chosen field of endeavor, in- 
vestigation will brighten his fame and point 
the way along which others may follow 
with like success. Consequently a critical 
study of the life record of the gentleman 
whose name forms the caption of this para- 
graph may be beneficial to the reader, for 
it has been one of usefulness and honor. 

Douglas C. Brown, the well known prin- 
cipal of Brown's Business College of Cen- 
tralia, and also superintendent of the Cairo 
and Marion business colleges, the largest and 
most modern institutions of their kind in 
southern Illinois, was born in Clay county, 
this state, January 28, i860, the son of Wil- 
liam and Lucy (Murphy) Brown, the sub- 
ject being the second child in a family of 



538 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



four children. The parents of these chil- 
dren died when Douglas C. was but a child 
and he was reared by an uncle, John A. 
Flick, with whom he remained until of age. 
His early education began at Xenia. in Clay 
county, which was continued at Danville in 
the Normal School, later at McKendree Col- 
lege, Lebanon, Illinois. In all the schools 
he attended he made a splendid record for 
scholarship. 1 laving been ambitious from the 
first, he applied himself in a most assiduous 
manner to his text-books and always stood 
high in his classes. 

After leaving school Air. Brown began 
teaching at the age of eighteen years. His 
first schools were taught in Clay county, lat- 
er in Fayette county. His last public school 
work was as superintendent of the Vandalia 
schools, which position he held for five years. 
His educational work continued for a period 
of twelve years, during which time he 
achieved a broad reputation as an able ed- 
ucator and liis services were in great demand. 
He left the work in the public schools for 
the purpose of opening a business college, 
which he subsequently launched at Vandalia. 
having conducted the same for two years, 
making a success from the start, for his fame 
as an educator was by that time so firmly 
established that whatever school his name 
was associated with was bound to be a suc- 
cess. After his experience with the Vanda- 
lia school he associated himself with Prof. 
G. W. Brown, in the Decatur Business Col- 
lege, remaining there three years. Our sub- 
ject then took charge of the bookkeeping de- 
partment of Brown's Business College at 



Peoria, Illinois, which he ably conducted for 
three years, after which he came to the Cen- 
tralia Business College in the fall of 1898. 
Each of the above schools has been highly 
successful and has turned out thousands of 
pupils well prepared to play their parts in 
the business and commercial world. The 
patronage that Prof. Douglas C. Brown now 
enjoys is largely due to his own outlay of 
time, talent and business sagacity, coupled 
with indomitable energy and persistency. 
The average daily attendance and the en- 
rollment of the school in Centralia is two 
hundred each year. The pupils who have 
graduated in this school have and are con- 
stantly taking good positions in the various 
branches of business for which they have 
prepared. 

The domestic life of our subject dates 
fnun October 12, 1881, when he was united 
in marriage with Maud Bryan, the accom- 
plished and refined daughter of Samuel and 
Harriett (Hartman) Bryan, of Xenia. Illi- 
nois. To this happy union six children have 
been born, named in order of birth as fol- 
lows: Clyde L., William H., Harriet M., 
Harry, Dean C. and Robert E. Clyde L. 
married Carrie Scheiber, of Peoria, Illinois. 
Harriet married O. A. Rosborough, Wil- 
liam H. is in the United States navy at this 
writing (1908), being a yeoman, or book- 
keeper and stenographer in the office of Ad- 
miral Sperry of the flagship Connecticut. 

Mr. Brown owns a modern, commodious, 
nicely furnished and pleasant home in Cen- 
tralia, which is frequently the gathering 
place for numerous friends and admirers of 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



539 



the Brown family, each member of which 
is noted for his hospitality and cordiality. 

In politics our subject is a Prohibitionist. 
In religious matters he supports the 
Christian church. He is a most companion- 
able gentleman and all who come within the 
range of his influence are profuse in their 
praise of his admirable qualities, and the 
high regard in which he is held not only pro- 
fessionally but socially indicates the posses- 
sion of attributes and characteristics that en- 
title him to the highest esteem. 



C. D. TUFTS. 



The gentleman whose name forms the cap- 
tion of this sketch did not seek any royal 
road to the goal of prosperity and independ- 
ence, but began in legitimate ways to ad- 
vance himself and the result is that he is 
now numbered among the successful news- 
paper men of Southern Illinois, having de- 
voted practically his entire life to the man- 
agement of an old and popular paper, the 
Democrat, published at Centralia, and he 
has been a molder of public opinion, having 
been a faithful defender of the rights and 
interests of the people of this vicinity at all 
times. 

C. D. Tufts was born in Centralia, Illi- 
nois, January 27, 1864, the son of Samuel 
P. and Zerelda (Goodwin) Tufts, the for- 
mer having been born in Fitchburg, Massa- 
chusetts, January 28, 1827. The latter was 
born in Indiana October 6, 1833. They 
were married October 4, 1857, in Marion 



county, Illinois. Four of their children are 
now (1908) living, namely: Gay L. ; C. D., 
our subject; Elsie M., and Zerelda D. Elsie 
M. married Ray Greene, of Sterling, Illi- 
nois. They have no children. Samuel P. 
Tufts passed to his rest October 4, 1903, 
at the age of seventy-six years. His widow 
is still living and enjoys excellent health ; 
she is a woman of beautiful Christian char- 
acter, being a member of the Baptist church. 

The early education of C. D. Tufts was 
obtained in the Centralia high school, in 
which he graduated in 1882. He has pub- 
lished the Democrat since 1883, having had 
charge of the office since then. His father 
was formerly the editor of this paper, which 
was established in 1869. Samuel P. Tufts 
had charge of the paper when it was burned 
out in 1 87 1, and he re-established it as a 
weekly. It has been conducted as a daily 
and weekly since 1892. The circulation has 
gradually increased from the first until it 
now consists of one thousand and two hun- 
dred on both the daily and weekly. The pa- 
per has always been popular with the people 
of Marion county, having been a faithful 
defender of the local interests. It is ably 
and carefully edited, and the news service is 
prompt and of the best. The mechanical ap- 
pearance of the paper shows that the best 
and most modern equipment is used in the 
plant. 

Mr. Tufts has been honored with many 
official positions, all of which he has dis- 
charged with ability. He was president of 
the Board of Education of Centralia for one 
term, also president of the Illinois Press As- 



5 4" 



BIOGRAPHICAL AXD REMINISCENT HISTORY 0¥ 



iation for one term. During Governor 
John P. Altgeld's administration he was pri- 
vate secretary of the Lieutenant-Governor 
for a period i >f fi >ur years. He was a mem- 
ber of the Democratic State Central Com- 
mittee and is at present Master in Chancery 
of Marion county. He has long been an able 
exponent of the principles of the Democratic 
party and his support can always be depend- 
ed upon in furthering the local interests of 
this party. 

In his fraternal relations, Mr. Tufts is a 
member of Centralia Lodge No. 201, 
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons; Cen- 
tralia Council, No. <>$. Royal Arch Masons; 
Centralia Council, No. 28, Royal and Select 
Masters : Cyrene Commandery No. 23, 
Knights Templar. He is in command of the 
I 1 tnmandery. Mr. Tufts is also a member of 
Centralia Lodge No. 394, Benevolent and 
Protective Order of Elks ; also a member of 
Helmet Lodge No. 26. Knights of Pythias, 
of Centralia. He is a member of the Order 
of Eastern Star and the Pythian Sisters, of 
Centralia lodges. 

Mr. Tufts is a man of sunny disposition, 
affable, approachable and makes friends eas- 
ily, which he has no trouble in retaining. 
While strong in his views, he is always will- 
ing to be fair and 1- candid at all times and 
tinder all circumstances. He enjoys an ex- 
tensive acquaintance all over the state of 
Illinois among men of all classes, and he is 
held in high favor by all who know him for 
his honesty of purpose, pleasing manners 
and the future to Mich a man cannot help 
lull be replete with abundant success. 



THOMAS L. JOY. 

Examples that impress force of character 
on all who study them are worthy of rec- 
ord. By a few general observations may 
be conveyed some idea of the high standing 
of Thomas L. Joy. as a business man and 
public benefactor, or, an editor of unusual 
felicity of expression and whose wonderful- 
ly facile pen delights thousands of readers, 
although now retired from the active af- 
fairs of everyday life and spending the last 
half of his years of strenuous and eminently 
useful life in the enjoyment of the peace and 
quietude to which he is so justly entitled, 
and which he has so nobly earned. United 
in his composition are so many elements of 
a solid and practical nature, which during a 
series of years have brought him into promi- 
nent notice, and earned for him a conspicu- 
ous place among the enterprising men of 
the county of his residence, that it is but 
jusl recognition of his worth to speak at 
some length of his life and achievements. 

Thomas L. Joy, retired editor of the Even- 
ing Sentinel of Centralia. Illinois, was born 
in Equality, this state, September 15, 1850, 
the -Min of Kphraim E. Joy, a Southern Illi- 
nois Methodist preacher of wide celebrity, 
lie raised a company in [862 for the pur- 
pose of taking part in the Union service. It 
was assigned to a regiment of Illinois vol- 
unteers. Mr. Joy was ordered to Fort Doug- 
las to be sworn in as captain of the com- 
pany. Upon reaching the place he received 
the sad news thai his wife was lying at the 
p lint of death This cut his war record and 



UKIILAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



541 



lie hastened home to his dying companion 
and two little sons, Andrew F. and Thomas 
L. The grandfather of the subject was a 
Baptist minister whose work was also con- 
fined to the southern part of this state. The 
Joy family has been well known and influen- 
tial in the affairs of the southern part of the 
Prairie state since it was first settled. 

The early education of Thomas L. Joy 
was obtained in the district schools and 
small towns, as his father itinerated from 
place to place. His last school was at Shi- 
loh, St. Clair county. He received a fairly 
good education, which was later supplement- 
ed by extensive home reading and by com- 
ing in contact with the world. 

Mr. Joy served his apprenticeship as a 
practical printer in St. Louis, Missouri, with 
the Woodward and Tiernan Printing Com- 
pany, of that city. Being a young man of 
great energy and executive ability, Mr. Joy 
established the Carmi Times, at Carmi, Illi- 
nois, with his brother, Andrew F. Joy, in 
1872. Our subject, who made a success of 
this venture, later sold his interest to his 
brother, Andrew F. Joy, in 1882. In 1880 
the Joy brothers established the Cairo Daily 
and Weekly Xews. Thomas L. took full 
charge. In 1881 he closed out the paper and 
returned to Carmi and later purchased the 
Mt. Carmel Republican, which he conduct- 
ed for over five years, with his usual suc- 
cess. He came to Centralia October 20, 
1888, and bought one-half interest in the 
Sentinel ; the firm name was then Joy & 
Hitchcock, the firm continuing for five 
months, when Hitchcock retired, H. F. Till- 



man taking his place, continuing for a pe- 
riod of two years, at the expiration of which 
time our subject bought his interest and con- 
tinued to publish the paper with increasing 
success until 1906, when he leased his paper 
to his son, Verne E. Joy. The latter took 
complete charge of the business on January 
1, 1907. 

While engaged on the Sentinel Thomas 
L. Joy, for a period of five years, published 
the Sandoval Times, a weekly paper at San- 
doval, Marion county, which was liberally 
patronized. He also published the Odin 
News and the Patoka Enterprise, each a 
weekly paper, with a good, active circula- 
tion. Mr. Joy was a very busy man in over- 
seeing all these papers, but his wonderful 
executive ability, his capacity for the ac- 
complishment of a vast amount of work and 
his persistent qualities enabled him to carry 
them all to successful issue, and he was for 
many years the molder of public opinion in 
Marion county, and became known as one 
of her foremost and most influential citi- 
zens. He is still a regular contributor to 
the Sentinel. His articles are terse and 
pithy — always interesting. He enjoys his 
quiet home life in his beautiful home in Cen- 
tralia, where hospitality and good cheer are 
always dispensed. He is an admirable con- 
versationalist and keeps abreast of the times 
in all matters. 

The domestic life of Thomas L. Joy dates 
from September 14, 1873, when he was unit- 
ed in marriage with Lizzie V. (Lockwood) 
Joy, of Wayne county, Illinois. She is the 
refined daughter of William and Elizabeth 



54-' 



UIoCKAl'IIICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY Ol' 



(Wiley) Lockvvood, of Wayne county, Illi- 
nois, long well known and influential in their 
community. 

Our subject has always been a stanch Re- 
publican and ever ready to foster the prin- 
ciples of his party, doing what he could to 
insure the success of the same in his county 
and his counsel has been frequently sought 
and in the affairs of the party at home. In 
religion he follows his father's early train- 



J. F. KNIGHT. 

Mr. Knight has long maintained his 
In une in this county, and while he has been 
benefited himself in a very material way 
through his efforts in a varied line of work, 
he has ever done what he could in the up- 
building of the community at large, and to- 
day he stands as one of the substantial and 
foremost citizens of Sandoval, where he is 
held in high favor by everyone. 

J. 1 ; . Knight was born in Wenona, Illi- 
ii< >i --. May 23, [867, the son of John and 
Susan (Ingersoll) Knight. The subject's 
grandfather, a native of Pennsylvania and 
of German lineage, was a farmer and 
lived ami died in the old Keystone state, 
lie was the father of eighl children, all of 
whom lived t" maturity. Eli Knight was .1 
soldier in the Civil war. having enlisted in 
a Pennsylvania regimenl and served three 
years. Hi- brother, Thomas Knight, was 
also a snldier in the Federal ranks. They 
were both Lutheran- in their church rela- 



tions. Grandfather Knight lived to an ad- 
vanced age, and grandmother Knight 
reached the age of ninety-four years. 
Grandfather tngersoll was from New Y>>rk. 
He came to Illinois in the fifties and settled 
in Wein ma, where he lived the balance of 
his life, having reached the great age of 
ninety-six years. Grandmother Ingersoll 
met death in an unfortunate manner, by 
being killed when sixty-five years old. 

The father of our subject was raised in 
Pennsylvania, and after his marriage to his 
first wife he came to Illinois and settled in 
Wenona. While in Pennsylvania he worked 
at the miller's trade, but after he came to 
Illinois he worked at farming, and he 
reached the age of fifty-two years. The 
subject's mother lived to be sixty-four years 
old. She was a member of the Christian 
church. Three children were born to John 
Knight by his first wife, and the same num- 
ber by his second. He was a Democrat and 
served as County Clerk in Pennsylvania. 

The early education of the subject of this 
sketch was obtained in the schools of Ma- 
rion county. He later attended the South- 
ern Illinois Normal School, where he gained 
a good education, having applied himself in 
a diligent manner to his text-books. Tak- 
ing the advice of Horace Greeley, who told 
the young men of the East to seek their 
fortune in the West. Mr. Knight went to 
California after he left school, and for some 
time kept luniks. But he later returned 
Illinois and worked his father's farm for a 
period of -even years, then bought land in 
Marion countv and -"Id live Stock, and later 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



543 



engaged in the livery business in Sando- 
val, which he conducted for seven years. He 
owns an excellent farm in this county, con- 
sisting of one hundred and fifty acres of 
highly improved land. He also owns an- 
other farm which he rents, having the man- 
agement of the first mentioned. Mr. 
Knight was also engaged in the ice business 
for a period of fourteen years. He owns 
ten houses in Sandoval, which he rents, and 
ilso owns a beautiful and modern residence. 
All this he has made practically unaided, 
having been a careful business man and ex- 
ercised the best of judgment in all his busi- 
ness transactions. 

Mr. Knight was united in marriage in 
1 89 1 to Stella Reinhardt, a native of this 
county, and the daughter of Charles and 
Frederick (Deitz) Reinhardt, natives of 
Germany. Mr. Reinhardt came to America 
in an early day and settled in Marion 
county. He was a weaver in the old coun- 
try, but took up the baker's trade here. 
There were five children in his family. 

Two children have been born to the sub- 
ject and wife. The first, Merle, was born 
in April, 1893, and is in high school at this 
writing, 1908. The second, Norman, was 
born in 1896. They are both bright and in- 
teresting children. 

The subject is a member of the Inde- 
pendent Order of Odd Fellows, also the 
Knights of Pythias and the Woodmen, 
having passed all the chairs in the Odd Fel- 
lows. In his political relations he is a Dem- 
ocrat, and has long taken an active part in 
his party's affairs. He is at present Town- 



ship Supervisor and has been Tax Collector. 
He was president of the Village Board for 
three terms, and he was Alderman for sev- 
eral terms. In his official capacities he gave 
the people of this community the best possi- 
ble service and gained the approval of all. 



JAMES HUNTER, M. D. 

The medical profession in Marion county 
has an able representative in the subject of 
this review, who is to be considered one of 
the leading physicians of the community of 
Sandoval, where he at present maintains his 
home, where he has long been established in 
practice. He has been closely identified with 
the civic and social affairs of Sandoval and 
he controls a large and representative prac- 
tice throughout this part of the county, 
where he is held in the highest esteem as 
a physician and surgeon and as a public- 
spirited and loyal citizen. 

Dr. James Hunter was born in Randolph 
county, Illinois, in 1837, the son of Alexan- 
der and Martha (Kell) Hunter. Grand- 
father Hunter was from Ireland. He first 
settled in South Carolina after coming to 
this country, and it is supposed that he died 
there. In that state Grandfather Kell was 
born. He moved to Randolph county, Illi- 
nois, having devoted his life to farming. 
About 1830 he bought a farm there, set- 
tling among the pioneers, reared his family 



544 



IMoCk Wll h \l. \NI) REMINISCEN1 IIIMnKV OF 



of two children, both girls, and died there at 
the age of sixty-seven years. He was a 
member of the Presbyterian church. 

The father of our subject was born in 
South Carolina and came to Illinois when 
twenty-eight years old, settling in Randolph 
county, where he bought land and on which 
he lived until his death, which occured when 
lie was twenty-nine years old. His wife 
passed away at the age of forty. Their 
family consisted of three children, our sub- 
ject being the only survivor. Mr. and Mrs. 
Alexander Hunter were both members of 
the Presbyterian church. 

Doctor Hunter was reared in Randolph 
county, Illinois, and attended the public 
schools there, working on his grandfather's 
farm in the meantime, until he was seven- 
teen years old. He early decided that his 
life should be devoted to the healing art, and 
actuated by this laudable ambition he began 
the study of medicine under the direction 
and instruction of Dr. Hopkins, of Sparta, 
Illinois, having remained with him for one 
year. He then took two courses of lectures 
in the Eclectic Medical Institute at Cincin- 
nati and began practice in Randolph county 
in 1858, where he remained with gratifying 
results attending his efforts for a period of 
five years. He then located in another part 
of the same county, where he remained a 
short time. 

Much to the regret of his patients 
and numerous friends in Randolph county, 
he moved to Newport, Kentucky, in 1864, 
and took up practice there, where he re- 
mained for four years, his success having 
1 instantaneous. He located in Switzer- 



land county, Indiana, where he practiced 
with most flattering results for a period of 
nineteen years, after which he came back to 
Randolph county, Illinois. He then spent five 
year- at trvington, Washington county, hav- 
ing come to Marion county in 1890, and 
has been practicing here ever since, having a 
lucrative business and a growing practice. To 
further qualify himself Doctor Hunter at- 
tended the medical department of the Nash- 
ville State University and graduated from 
the same in 1879. Recently the doctor was 
appointed to the chair of Theory and Prac- 
tice in the Hypocranium Medical College, a 
night school in St. Louis. 

Doctor Hunter was married in [857 to 
Miss X. J. Askins, of Sparta. Illinois. Two 
of Mrs. Hunter's brothers were soldiers in 
the Civil war, having enlisted from Illinois. 
They served their time out and were hon- 
' irably discharged. 

Six children were born to the subject and 
wife, four girls and two boys. The doctor 
has four grandchildren living. One of his 
daughters lives in San Francisco, California, 
another lives in St. Louis, one in Boston and 
another in New York. They are all well 
situated in reference to this world's affairs. 

Our subject is a Mason and a Woodman. 
He has filled most of the chairs in the Ma- 
sonic lodge. Both he and his wife are mem- 
bers of the Methodist church and are lib- 
eral supporters of the same. 

Doctor Hunter takes an active pari in poli- 
tics, having been a liberal supporter in the 
Democratic ranks all his life. He has faith- 
fully served his community as Justice of the 
Trace for the past twelve years. What his 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



545 



hands and mind have found to do he has 
done with his might, and having attained a 
commanding position among his contempo- 
raries, he wears his honor in a becoming 
manner and is today one of the prominent 
citizens of Marion countv. 



GEO. WASHINGTON DOWNEY, M. D. 

The subject of this sketch has gained pres- 
tige in the healing art, which is always the 
outcome of close application and the ability 
to apply theory to practice in the treatment 
of diseases. Good intellectual training, thor- 
ough professional knowledge, have made the 
subject of this review successful in this chos- 
en calling, having been in practice here for 
over a quarter of a century, during which 
time he has built up a lucrative patronage. 

Dr. G. W. Downey was born in Prince- 
ton, Indiana, March i, 1832, the son of Wil- 
liam and Anna (Davis) Downey. Grand- 
father Downey, who was a millwright, 
which trade he followed all his life, was 
born in Ireland, came to America and set- 
tled in Virginia, where he spent the remain- 
der of his life, and where he reared his 
children, being survived by six children, who 
lived to maturity. There were three min- 
isters in the family. Grandfather Davis, 
who was also from Ireland, came to America 
and settled in Tennessee, later removing 
to Indiana, where he spent the remainder of 
his days, devoting his life to farming, living 
to an advanced age and rearing a family 
consisting of four daughters. 



The father of our subject, who was born 
in Virginia, moved to Indiana when he 
reached manhood and followed his trade, 
that of millwright, having learned it from 
his father, but feeling that he was called to 
higher work, he abandoned this and devel- 
oped into a Cumberland Presbyterian min- 
ister of considerable notoriety, living to be 
over sixty years old. He was the father of 
twelve children, of whom the subject of this 
sketch was the youngest. The wife of Rev. 
Downey passed away at the age of sixty- 
four years. 

Doctor Downey attended school in Indi- 
ana and when a young man worked out as 
a day laborer, his family being poor, making 
it necessary for him to earn his own living, 
but while somewhat unpleasant, it was good 
discipline for him and he developed an in- 
dividuality which made greatly for subse- 
quent success. Saving what he could with 
a view to obtaining a higher education, he 
was enabled in a few years to enter college 
at Newberry, Indiana. Believing that his 
true life work lay along medical lines, he 
began the study of medicine in Indiana. "He 
took a medical course in Chicago and later 
in Iowa, having made a good record for 
scholarship in both. 

Our subject practiced medicine for a pe- 
riod of four years before the breaking out ot 
the Civil war, in which he took conspicuous 
part, having been one of the patriotic volun- 
teers who went forth to battle for the na- 
tion's rights. He enlisted in October, 1861, 
in Company F, Fifty-sixth Illinois Volunteer 
Infantry, and served two years. He was in 



00 



54 6 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



the great battle of Corinth, having been 
through the siege there; also took part in 
cither engagements and marches in which his 
regiment participated, and was discharged 
on accounl of disease contracted while in 
line of duty. 

A tier the war our subject returned to prac- 
tice, locating in Hamilton county, Illinois, 
later removing to Washington county, then 
tn Marion county in 1882, and has been in 
practice here ever since. Wherever he has 
practiced he has left an honorable name and 
a reputation as a high class physician and a 
conscientious citizen. 

Doctor Downey was united in marriage in 
1858 to Margaret Pace, daughter of Joseph 
Pace, whose people were originally from 
Kentucky. Seven children were born to our 
subject and wife, two of whom are deceased. 
Those living are: Annie, the widow of Cy- 
rus Hamilton; Homer is married and has 
two children ; Ada is the wife of a Mr. Knox 
and the mother of three children ; Corrine is 
married and has one child; George is the 
fifth child and youngest. A singular coin- 
cidence in the history of the Pace family is 
the fact that Mrs. Downey's grandmother 
on the father's side of the house fell and 
broke a hip; Mrs. Downey's father also fell 
and broke a hip; later his twin brother broke 
his hip in a similar manner; then his daugh- 
ter fell and broke her hip; later Mrs. Dow- 
ney's brother fell and broke his hip; finally 
Mrs. Downey fell, breaking her hip, from 
which she has become a life cripple. In 
each case it was the right hip. 

Our subjeel is a member of the ancient 



and honorable Masonic fraternity. Both he 
and his wife are members of the Methodist 
church, the latter having been a church mem- 
ber since she was fourteen years old. In 
politics Doctor Downey is a Republican, and 
he has the interests of his community at 
heart, ever laboring for its development 
along political, religious and educational 
lines. His comfortable and well furnished 
home in Sandoval is frequented by his many 
friends and those of the family, and holds 
high rank in this community. 



EDWIX L. WELTON. 

The record of a life well spent, of tri- 
umph over obstacles, of perseverance under 
difficulties and steady advancement from a 
modest beginning to a place of distinction 
in the industrial world, when imprinted on 
the pages of a history, present to the youth 
of a rising generation a worthy example. 
Such a life is that of the gentleman whose 
name appears at the head of this review, 
who is at this writing encumbent of the re- 
ible position of postmaster of the city 
of Centralia. Illinois, and the able and con- 
scientious manner in which he has ever 
looked after the interests of this city have 
called forth much praise from his fellow 
tow asmen. 

Edwin L. Welton was born at New Al- 
bany, Indiana. May [6, [857, the son of 
Tandy and Mary E. (Carlan) Welton. the 
former having been burn in Harrison 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



547 



county, Indiana, January 4, 1827, and is 
still living in the Hoosier state. The mother 
of the subject was born near New Albany, 
Indiana, in 1832. They became the par- 
ents of eleven children, of whom Edwin L., 
our subject, was the sixth in order of birth. 
There were six boys and five girls, seven of 
whom are living. 

The early education of the subject of this 
sketch was obtained in the common schools 
of New Albany. He early began working 
on a farm and later in the Ohio Falls Iron 
Works at New Albany. He came to Marion 
county, Illinois, in young manhood without 
a dollar, but possessing courage and energy 
he set to work and his subsequent career has 
been a most successful one. He now owns 
a costly and well furnished home in Cen- 
tralia, besides considerable other property 
in real estate, and his rental income pays 
over one thousand dollars a year on his in- 
vestment. He arrived in Centralia Febru- 
ary 11, 1879. 

After coming to this state our subject 
worked for the Illinois Central Railroad for 
a period of seventeen years and for thirteen 
years was an engineer on the road, having 
been one of the most trusted and efficient 
employes of this company. He also worked 
for some time in the nail mills of Centralia. 

Our subject supports his aged father and 
mother, which he has done for years. He 
subscribed the first one hundred dollars for 
the erection of the present Catholic hospital 
erected in Centralia the latter part of 1908. 

Our subject met with the misfortune to 
lose his left eye nine years ago by the ex- 



plosion of a lubrication glass on an engine. 

Edwin L. Welton first married Addie J. 
Andrews, of Centralia, October 17, 1882, by 
whom one son was born, D wight E., whose 
birth occurred July 22, 1884. He lived 
eight months and seventeen days, having 
died in March, 1885. The subject's first 
wife passed to her rest October 15, 1887. 
Mr. Welton was married a second time, his 
last wife being Isabel H. See, the wedding 
occurring January 31, 1894. To this union 
five children have been born. The first died 
in infancy. The names of the others are 
Helen F., Frederick E., Winifred L. and 
Edna L., all living at home and attending 
school in 1908. Mrs. Welton is the daugh- 
ter of C. M nnd Anna M. See, of Alma. 

Mr. Welton was elected Township Col- 
lector in 1902, the duties of which he faith- 
full}- performed, as he did also while serv- 
ing as a member of the School Board of 
Centralia from 1887 to 1889. He was ap- 
pointed postmaster of Centralia in 1903 and 
has faithfully continued to serve the people 
of this city under Roosevelt's administra- 
tion, still being the incumbent of this office 
in 1908, and according to the consensus of 
opinion is one of the best postmasters the 
city has ever had, possessing as he does a 
remarkable executive ability and being of 
a pleasing address he is popular with all 
classes. 

In politics our subject is a Republican, 
having always voted this ticket and done 
what he could in furthering the interests of 
his party. Fraternally he is a member of 
the Free and Accepted Masons, the Blue 



548 



I'.KiCKAlMlK \i. VXD REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



Lodge, also Chapter, Council and Com- 
mandery. He is a member of the Knights 
of Pythias, the Modern Woodmen and the 
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and 
Firemen. Both he and his wife are members 
of the Order of Eastern Star. 

Our subject's people and also those of his 
wife were Methodists. Mrs. W'elton is an 
active member of this church. Mr. W'elton, 
while not affiliated with any special church, 
contributes liberally to the support of the 
.Methodist church and worships there with 
his family, being a stanch believer in prac- 
tical, every-day Christianity, a man of gen- 
erous disposition who has always given his 
aid and influence to enterprises for the pub- 
lic good, and since becoming a resident of 
Centralia he has contributed largely to the 
material advancement of the city and to the 
social and moral welfare and he keeps 
abreast of the times in all matters in which 
the public is interested. No act inconsistent 
with the strictest integrity has ever been 
imputed to him, nor has his name ever been 
connected with any measure or movement 
that would not bear closest and most crit- 
ical scrutiny. Thus far his official career has 
fully demonstrated the wisdom of his friends 
in urging his selection for the position which 
he holds. 



ALFRED LIVESAY. 

Although the unmarred life-chapter of the 
subject of this sketch has been closed and 
the seal set thereon forever by the "grim 



reaper," his influence for good still pervades 
the lives of those with whom he was asso- 
ciated, for his life was led along high planes 
of endeavor and resulted in not only the ac- 
complishment of good for himself and fam- 
ily, hut also his neighbors. 

Alfred Livesay was born in Tennessee 
February 15, 1822, and when seven 
years of age he came to Washing- 
ton county, Blinois, at the age of 
seven years, and in about 1866 he came to 
Marion county, locating in Patoka township. 
Our subject was the son of John Wesley and 
Margaret (Lyons) Livesay, both natives of 
Tennessee, who came to Marion county, Bli- 
nois, where they spent the remainder of 
their lives, dying on the same place on which 
they settled. 

Our subject made nearly all the improve- 
ments of his place, having been a hard 
worker and an excellent manager. He was 
always a Democrat, but never sought pub- 
lic office. Entering the ministry, he was a 
Methodist preacher for several years, doing 
much good and becoming widely known as 
an earnest expounder of the Gospel, but he 
gave up preaching quite a while before his 
death, abandoning the ministry owing to 
failing health. He had the distinction of 
serving one year and one month in the Mex- 
ican war, during which he contracted sick- 
ness from which he never fully recovered. 
He was a farmer and an extensive stock 
raiser and was highly successful at his work 
wherever it was applied, being a man of 
good judgment and always industrious. He 
was a cousin of Dr. Thomas Livesay, one 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



549 



of the leading physicians of Marion county 
and a man respected by all. 

After receiving such common schooling 
as the times afforded our subject worked at 
various things, principally farming, until he 
married, February 26, 1846, in Washington 
county, Hannah Logan, who was born in 
Washington county September 30, 1830, 
and to this union the following children 
have been born ; William T. married 
Eliza Seward and are the parents of 
four children and live in Stanley, Iowa ; 
Elizabeth R. is single and takes care of her 
mother; Isaac B., who married Leticia Rock 
and who has two children, lives in Kansas; 
Pearl married Joseph Larimer and they are 
the parents of two children ; Hester A. mar- 
ried Perry Davidson, of Marion county, and 
she is the mother of five children ; Ransom 
P. married Louisa Suter and they are the 
parents of five children ; Marshall A. mar- 
ried Rachael Walton and they have nine 
children ; Liddie, deceased, married Robert 
Quale, and they are the parents of two liv- 
ing children and two deceased; Harvey R. 
married Mollie Chick and they are the par- 
ents of five children ; Allen H., who remained 
single, died when forty-four years old ; Dan- 
iel R. married Laura Cruse and they have 
three children ; Etta married James Smith 
and they became the parents of eight chil- 
dren, four of whom are living; Clinton O. 
marreid Elvira McHaney and they became 
the parents of seven children, one of whom 
is deceased. 

Alfred Livesay departed this life, after a 
strenuous and useful career, on April 22, 



1883, honored and respected by all who knew 
him, and his place in the neighborhood has 
since been greatly missed, for he was a good 
and useful man, who, while laboring to ad- 
vance the interests of himself, did not fail 
to do what he could in promoting the wel- 
fare of the public. He left his family about 
six hundred acres of well improved land. 
Mrs. Livesay now manages in a most suc- 
cessful manner one hundred and thirty-four 
acres, all under a high state of cultivation. 
She is a woman of rare business tact and 
ability, although she is now well advanced 
in old age, and she has a wonderful mem- 
ory and is an interesting conversationalist. 
She draws a pension of twelve dollars per 
month. She js held in high esteem by the 
people of Patoka township for her many 
commendable traits of character and beau- 
tiful life. 



JACOB COPPLE. 

It is hard for the present generation to 
properly appreciate the brave deeds of the 
"boys in blue," who sacrificed so much on 
the altar of patriotism during the sixties, 
but as years go by the immensity of their 
deeds will be realized to a fuller extent and 
each veteran will be accorded full measure 
of credit, and praise. The gentleman whose 
name appears above is a member of this 
great number of patriots. 

Jacob Copple was born in Clark county, 
Indiana, December 23, 1835, the son of An- 
drew and Christina (Fine) Copple, both na- 



55P 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY 01" 



tives of North Carolina, who were among 
the pioneers in the vicinity of Walnut 
Hill, Illinois, where they lived for a 
short time, then moved to Raccoon 
township. Marion county. He secured wild 
land and developed a good farm, on which 
he and his wife both died. He was a Demo- 
crat, but held no office, and an active mem- 
ber of the Christian church. The subject's 
mother was twice married, first to James 
Snow, and she had two sons by this mar- 
riage, William and James, the former a 
farmer and the latter a minister in the Chris- 
tian church for many years. They are both 
deceased. 

Four children were born to Andrew Cop- 
pie and wife, namely: Jacob, our subject; 
John L., deceased, who lived in Raccoon 
township on a farm and was also a black- 
smith : Simpson is living in Hood River, 
Oregon, a retired farmer; Mary Elizabeth 
is the widow of Robert Sanders, who lives 
in Raccoon township. 

Our subject had only a limited amount of 
schooling in his youth, but he became self- 
educated and he taught five terms of winter 
schools in a most successful manner. He 
was married in March, 1856, to Malinda F. 
McCullough, a native of Tennessee, the 
daughter of Thomas McCullough, of Ten- 
nessee, who were among the early settlers 
in Jefferson county, Illinois, having located 
on a farm. Mr. McCullough lived to be 
over eighty years old. His wife survived 
him, dying in 1844. The subject's wife 
died November 20, 1901. Seven children 
were born to them, five of whom grew to 



maturity, namely: Rebecca J., who married 
J. H. Creed, and who lived in Centralia 
township, died in 1884, after becoming the 
mother of three children; Charles L., a ho- 
tel keeper living near Portland, Oregon, is 
married and has four sons: Theopolis V.. a 
farmer living in Raccoon township, is sin- 
gle; Samuel A., a farmer in Raccoon town- 
ship, married Florence Copple and has three 
children; George F., deceased, married Min- 
nie McMiliin, and became a farmer near 
Walnut Hill. These children were educat- 
ed in the home schools and are all fairly 
well situated in reference to business and 
homes. 

Mr. Copple, as already intimated, was a 
soldier during the war of the Rebellion, hav- 
ing enlisted on April 6, 1865, in Company 
H, Fifty-third Illinois Volunteer Infantry. 
He first went to New York City, being sick 
with the measles, and came home in 1865, 
and was sick until the spring of 1866. He 
had moved to Jefferson county. Illinois, in 
1861, and he lived there until 1881, when he 
moved to Raccoon township, where he 
bought the Robert Rainey farm. His fine 
farm now consists of one hundred and 
twelve acres and he carries on general fann- 
ing and stock raising in a most successful 
manner, having his farm highly improved 
and carefully tilled. He has always been a 
farmer and has taken much interest in pub- 
lic affairs. He has been School Director 
and he cast his first vote for Abraham Lin- 
coln, but since 1876 he has been a Populist 
and he has the splendid record of having 
been a member of the Christian church for 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



03 J 



the past fifty years. Our subject has been 
retired since 1900, when he bought a home 
in Walnut Hill, where he has since lived. 



JOSEPH PORTER ROOT. 

One of the venerable and highly respected 
citizens of Marion county is he whose name 
appears above, a man whose life has been 
led along useful and conservative lines, re- 
sulting in good to those with whom he came 
in contact and resulting in success to him- 
self and family. 

Joseph Porter Root was born August 4, 
1828, in Orange county, Vermont, the son 
of King and Elizabeth (Bacheldor) Root, 
both natives of Orange county, Vermont, 
the former's father and mother also being 
natives of that county. Jethro Bacheldor 
was the subject's maternal grandfather. He 
and his wife were both natives of New 
Hampshire. The subject's father, who grew 
up and married in Vermont, was a very ac- 
tive man, a great drummer, and a farmer 
by occupation. Both he and his wife died 
in Vermont ; the latter was a member of the 
Free Will Baptist church. The former was 
a Democrat. They were the parents of thir- 
teen children, twelve of whom grew to ma- 
turity and married. The subject had one 
brother, Lawton, a fanner, who came west 
in about 1838, going to Chicago and down 
the Mississippi river and through Southern 
Illinois and in two years went back to Ver- 
mont. 



The subject of this sketch, who received 
only a limited schooling when a boy, lived 
at home with his parents until he reached 
manhood. In early life he worked as a turn- 
er at the lathe and made tool handles. In 
1852 he came west unaccompanied and lo- 
cated in Marion county where Centralia now 
stands. The country was then wild and he 
has seen the development of the community, 
taking no small part in the great work. There 
was no railroad in the county when he came 
here. He went into partnership with Rob- 
ert Hensley in 1854 and put up a steam saw- 
mill on Fulton creek, the first mill in that 
locality. Lumber was sawed here for the 
Illinois Central Railroad Company to be 
used in the construction of round houses, 
shops and buildings in general. Our sub- 
ject operated the mill for about two years, 
when he sold it and went into partnership 
with Josiah Gilkey and they made wheel 
barrows and such implements by hand and 
later took up painting. He secured land 
and started to make a home. 

Our subject was united in marriage on 
June 14, 1856, to Sarah Ann Stradley, of 
Ashville. North Carolina, who was born 
November 20, 1832, the daughter of David 
and Mary (Bruce) Stradley. the former 
having been born in England and the latter 
in North Carolina. Mr. Stradley was sent 
by a syndicate to Mexico to look after their 
interests in a silver mine, and he remained 
there three years. He had relatives in North 
Carolina, where he went and in which state 
he was married, and later came to Marion 
county, Illinois, settling in Centralia town- 



BIOGRAPHK \l. AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



ship, where he got land, where he and his 
w ife both <lied. 

The wife of the subject, a woman of many 
beautiful traits of character, passed to her 
rest August 24, 1898. 

After his marriage our subject lived in 
Centralia township, having cleared land and 
made a good and comfortable home and 
where he lived in ease until the death of his 
wife, since which time he has lived among 
his children. Eight children were born to 
the subject and wife as follows: Mary E., 
li'in August 8, 1857. married Oliver P. 
Moore; they live in Jefferson county, Illi- 
nois, and are the parents of eight children, 
one deceased. Erastus S., the second child, 
was born September 20, 1859, married Celia 
Wood : they live in Centralia, this county, 
and are the parents of eight children, two 
being deceased ; King David was bom Oc- 
tober _>). iSfii, married Orphelia Van Hou- 
ten, and they are the parents of four chil- 
dren and make their home in Centralia ; 
Charles Burdette, who was born September 
11, 1863, married Edith Creed; he is a 
farmer and teacher in Centralia township, 
being the parents of three children, one child 
being deceased. Joseph Elmer, the fifth 
child, was born May 8, 1866, is a farmer in 
Centralia township, married Mary Bates, 
and they have three children living and one 
dead. Jethro Bacheldor, the sixth child, was 
horn .March 4, 1870, and married Mollie 
Burge, of Centralia. and they have five chil- 
dren. Ella B. was 1m 'in April 25, 1872. mar- 
ried Lloyd Burge, living at Hyattville, Wyo- 
ming, and they are the parents of three chil- 



dren: Cyrus, the youngest child, was born 
October 6, 1878. married Grace Burge, of 
Marion county, Illinois, the daughter of Jar- 
rett and Susan ( Warren) Burge, both of 
this county. They were of Virginia and 
Tennessee stock. Jarrett Burge lived all of 
his life in Marion county, this state, on a 
farm, lie now lives one mile east of Odin. 
His wife died in January, 1904. 

.Mr. and Mrs. Cyrus Root are the parents 
of three children, namely : Earl, Evelyn and 
Lavinia. Our subject is regarded as one of 
the representative farmers of Centralia 
township, having always devoted his life to 
the farm. However, he has been practically 
retired since 1898. He is a Democrat; his 
wife was a member of the Baptist church. 
Mr. Root is a remarkably well preserved man 
for his advanced age, still hale and hearty. 
He is a great reader and is well posted. He 
started in life in a small way, hut being in- 
dustrious and a good manager, he has 
achieved success and is today one of the 
substantial men of the county. 



CHARLES F. DEW. 

The gentleman whose career is briefly 
sketched in the following lines is an in- 
fluential member of the Marion County Bar, 
who by reason of his professional success 
has been honored from time to time with po- 
sitions of responsihlity and trust. He also 
holds worthy prestige as a citizen, being in- 
terested in whatever tends to benefit his fel- 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



553 



low men. and in matters of public import. 
His reputation as an influential factor and 
trusted leader is duly recognized and ap- 
preciated. 

Charles F. Dew is one of Illinois' native 
sons and a descendant of an old Virginia 
family that was first represented in the West 
by his grandfather, Rev. John Dew, a 
Methodist minister of much more than local 
repute and one of the leading men of his 
church in the central and southern parts of 
the state. This eminent pioneer divine was 
the intimate associate and co-laborer of the 
celebrated Peter Cartwright, whom he as- 
sisted in evangelistic work among the early 
settlers, and his name frequently occurs in 
the latter's autobiography and personal rem- 
iniscences. He was not only an able and 
earnest preacher, but also a prominent edu- 
cator and to his efforts more perhaps than 
to those of any other man is due the found- 
ing of McKendree College, of which he was 
the first president. Subsequently he served 
for many years on the board of directors of 
that institution and was untiring in promot- 
ing its interests by every means at his com- 
mand. He migrated from Virginia in a very 
early day and settled originally near Tren- 
ton, Clinton county, but spent the greater 
portion of his time in ministerial work in 
different parts of the state and establishing 
churches, many of which are still in exist- 
ence and flourishing organization. 

Henry P. Dew, son of the above and 
father of the subject, was born in St. Clair 
county, Illinois, in the year 1833. He mar- 
ried in 1 86 1, Sarah C. Arrowsmith, whose 



birth occurred in June, 1838, and who bore 
him three children, namely : Edward, died 
in early years, Lulu, who also died young, 
and Charles F., whose name introduces this 
sketch. Henry P. Dew departed this life 
at Odin, Illinois, in the year 1872, his wife, 
who is still living, makes her home with 
Charles F., her only surviving child. The 
Arrowsmiths moved to Illinois from Ohio 
and were among the early settlers of Marion 
county, the parents of Mrs. Dew locating 
near Salem in 1848. Mr. Arrowsmith pur- 
chased land and in due time became a pros- 
perous farmer and praiseworthy citizen. He 
reared a family of eight children, three sons 
and five daughters, and with his good wife 
has for a number of years been sleeping the 
sleep of the just. 

Charles F. Dew was born March 20, 1866, 
in Washington county, Illinois, and received 
his preliminary education in the public 
schools, this training being afterwards sup- 
plemented by a course in the high school of 
Centralia, where he was graduated in 1883. 
Actuated by an earnest desire to add to his 
scholastic knowledge, he subsequently en- 
tered McKendree College, where he prose- 
cuted his studies until completing the pre- 
scribed course and receiving the degree of 
Bachelor of Science, after which he engaged 
in educational work, devoting the ensuing 
ten years to teaching in the schools of Illi- 
nois, Missouri and Minnesota. 

Mr. Dew achieved honorable distinction 
as an educator, and while in the profession 
taught in the schools of St. Louis, Kansas 
City, and served for some time as superin- 



554 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



tendent of the public schools of Rush City, 
Minnesota, in the meantime receiving from 
his alma mater the degree of Master of 
Science. Although a natural teacher and 
fond of the work, he had no intention of 
making it his permanent calling. Accord- 
ingly, in 1893, ne retired from the school 
room and began the study of law in the of- 
fice of Judge William Stoker, of Centralia. 
After three years of close application, un- 
der the direction of that able lawyer and 
jurist, he took the required examination at 
Springfield and received his license to prac- 
tice in the state and federal courts, his ad- 
mission to the bar bearing the date of 1896. 
The year in which be was granted bis li- 
cense. Mr. Dew engaged in the practice of 
his profession at Centralia. and after expe- 
riencing the usual difficulties which beset the 
young attorney at the beginning of bis ca- 
reer, he forged rapidly to the front among 
the successful lawyers of the city, and in 
due time built up a large and satisfactory 
legal business. His habits of study and con- 
centration together with his previous ex- 
perience as a teacher were greatly in his 
favor and be brought to bis profession a 
well disciplined mind, which enabled him to 
grow in public favor within a comparatively 
brief period. In connection with the duties 
of bis calling, be became actively interested 
in political affairs and it was not long until 
he acquired considerable political prestige, 
not only locally, but in district and state 
matters as well. In recognition of valuable 
political resources as well as by reason of 
his fitness for the position, be was elected 



City Attorney of Centralia, and so ably did 
he discharge his official functions that he 
was twice chosen his own successor. His 
record while looking after the interest of 
the municipality was without a blemish and 
compared favorably with those of his 
predecessors. 

As a lawyer Mr. Dew stands deservedly 
high and his career thus far has been char- 
acterized by continuous advancement and a 
success such as few of bis professional ex- 
perience attain. He is well grounded in the 
principles of jurisprudence and by critical 
study has become so familiar with the lead- 
ing authorities that be experiences little dif- 
ficulty in applying his knowledge to practice 
or in successfully competing with older and 
more experienced men. He is regarded as a 
safe and judicious counselor, careful and 
methodical in the preparation of legal pa- 
pers and all matters entrusted to him are 
sure to receive his earnest attention and to be 
attended to with promptness and dispatch. 

Mr. Dew is a man of scholarly tastes and 
an influential factor in the literary life of 
Centralia. His office in the Kamer Build- 
ing on North Locust street is not only fre- 
quented by clients and those deserving legal 
advice, but it is also a favorite resort of the 
intellectually inclined, for therein are fre- 
quently considered and discussed matter- of 
high import in which only men of like tastes 
and inclination- have an interest. Mr. Dew 
is a member of the Masonic fraternity and 
the order of Woodmen, and the Methodist 
Kpiscopal church represents his religious 
creed. Although earnest in his views and 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



555 



with the courage of his convictions on all 
subjects, he is a man of liberal ideas and 
only requires the same respect for his own 
opinions that he accords to the opinions of 
those who may differ from him. Mr. Dew 
was happily married on the 25th day of No- 
vember, 1908, to Hattie H. Porter, of Cen- 
tralia, daughter of William and Rose R. 
(Ray) Porter, early settlers of Salem. Mrs. 
Dew's grandfather was one of the large 
land owners of Marion county and for many 
years a leading citizen of the county in which 
he lived. 



SAMUEL SHOOK. 



The subject of this sketch has for many 
years ranked among the modern agricul- 
turists of this section of the state, where his 
entire life has been spent, resulting in the 
accomplishment of a comfortable living for 
himself and family. 

Samuel Shook was born in Centralia 
township, Marion county, September 15, 
1845, the son of Amos and Martha (Shel- 
ton) Shook, the former a native of Penn- 
sylvania and the latter of Georgia. Amos 
Shook came to Illinois when a boy with his 
uncle, Samuel Shook, and located near Belle- 
ville, when the present state was still a ter- 
ritory. The uncle procured land in Centra- 
lia township, being among the very first set- 
tlers here, early in the nineteenth century. He 
developed a farm, making a comfortable 
home. His neighbors were Indians and wild 
beasts, consequently he never went any place 



without his rifle. He spent the remainder 
of his life farming in Centralia township. 
He was a Baptist preacher, the first in the 
locality, preaching around in the homes in 
log cabins. Amos Shook, the subject's father, 
who had little chance to attend school, 
grew up in Centralia township and was a 
farmer all his life, a leading Democrat in 
his community, but held no public office. He 
was a member of the Christian church. He 
died in 1877, and his wife passed to her 
rest in 1846. He was twice married, his 
second wife being Susan Whitchurch, of 
Centralia township, the daughter of William 
Whitchurch, of St. Clair county, this state, 
having been pioneers of that county. 

Eight children were born to Amos Shook 
and his first wife, two of whom are now 
living, namely : Sallie, deceased ; Martha 
Jane ; Roanna, deceased ; David, deceased; 
Lucy Ann, deceased ; James H., a farmer in 
Wayne county, Illinois ; Morris, deceased ; 
Samuel, our subject. Two children were 
born to Amos Shook and his second wife, 
Robert and Ivy, both deceased. 

Our subject had only a limited schooling 
in the early subscription schools, but he made 
the best use possible of his opportunities and 
is today a well read man. 

Mr. Shook was happily married March 
9, 1865, to Julia A. Garren, of Jefferson 
county, Illinois, having been born there in 
1846, the daughter of Alexander and Betsy 
(Copple) Garren, natives of Indiana, who 
came to Centralia township, Marion county, 
Illinois, having been pioneers of that locality. 
Mr. Garren died in Marion county and "his 



; S 6 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES. ILLINOIS. 



wife's death occurred in Jefferson county. 
He was twice married, his second wife be- 
ing Roxanna Hudlow, a widow. Four chil- 
dren were born to Alexander Garren and his 
first wife, namely: William. John. Eli, all 
three deceased ; Julia Ann, the subject's wife. 
The following children were bom to Alex- 
ander Garren and his second wife, namely: 
Riley, who lives in Missouri; Robert and 
Phoebe, both deceased; Alexander, Jr., a liv- 
eryman at Walnut Hill : Lewis, deceased. 

Eight children have been born to the sub- 
ject and wife, five of whom are now living, 
namely: Melvin, a farmer at Lane, South 
Dakota; Albert, a farmer in Centralis town- 
ship; Ira, deceased; Plannie, deceased; 
George, deceased : Frank, a farmer on the 
old home place: Elmer, a farmer at Lane, 
South Dakota; Myrtle May. living in Cen- 
tralia township. 

After the subject's marriage he located 
where he now lives in Centralia township 
and erected a substantial house and barn 
and made all of the improvements on the 
place, which are extensive and equal to any 
in the county. He has lived on this place 
continuously since that time. He has al- 
ways been a farmer and stock raiser, having 
been highly successful at each, being con- 
sidered by his neighbors and those who know 
him as one of the leading farmers of the 
township and an excellent judge of live 
stock. He is a Democrat, but has held no 
offices. He is a member of the Christian 
church. 

The subject is one of those patriotic citi- 
zens who felt it their dutv to offer their 



sei \ ices in defense of their country during 
the sixties, consequently he enlisted in 1864 
in Company F. Forty-eighth Regiment, Illi- 
nois Volunteer Infantry, at Centralia. He 
was sent to Scottsboro, Alabama, and was 
wounded three times, first at Resaca, hav- 
ing been shot through the right shoulder. He 
was later wounded at Fort McAlister, hav- 
ing been shot through the right leg, at which 
battle he was also shot through the left 
thigh. He was under Sherman and Gen. 
John A. Logan in the Fifteenth Army Corps, 
Fourth Brigade and Fourth Division. He 
took part in all the battles and engagements 
of his regiment. After he was wounded he 
was first sent by boat to Bedford, South 
Carolina, later to New York, and then to 
Quincy, Illinois, where he was discharged 
May [3, 1865. 

Mr. Shook is a member of the Grand 
Army of the Republic, Post No. 55, at Cen- 
tralia. Illinois; also a member of the In- 
dependent Order of Odd Fellows at Wal- 
nut Hill, this state; the Knight- of Pythias 
at Centralia, also the Farmers' Mutual Ben- 
efit Association. 



HENRY L. RHODES. 

\o compendium such as the province of 
this work defines in its essential limitations 
will serve to present in detail the interesting 
life career of the subject of this sketch who 
1- well known in Marion county, where he 
has long maintained his home, being now a 
retired railroad man and a leading member 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



557 



of the Free and Accepted Masons, No. 101 
— a man who is entitled to the respect of 
his fellow men owing to the well ordered 
life he has led. 

Harry L. Rhodes was born at Port Jar- 
vis, Orange county, New York, May 24, 
1829, the son of Simeon and Jane (Mc- 
Daniels) Rhodes, the latter of Scotch-Irish 
ancestry, the former a native of New York 
and of German ancestry. Two children 
were born to them, Henry L., our subject, 
being the oldest of the two. When eight 
years old our subject went on the tow path 
where he remained for ten years. When 
eighteen years old he was captain of a boat 
on the Erie canal. After he entered the ser- 
vice of the Erie Railroad which was taking 
the place of the boat, and was afterward 
conductor for seven years on the New York 
& Erie Railroad. In April, 1856, he came 
to Centralia and was conductor on the Illi- 
nois Central Railroad for a period of thirty- 
four years, then retiring to private life. He 
gave these roads the very best of service 
and was regarded by them as among their 
best and most trusted employes. By his 
economy and industry and his judicious in- 
vestments, he acquired a handsome compe- 
tence and is now considered one of the well- 
to-do men of Centralia, where he has a good 
home, nicely and comfortably furnished. 
His success has been worthy his honorable 
business career. 

Henry L. Rhodes married in Port Jarvis, 
New York, in 1853, to Sarah E. Smith, 
and the following children have been born 
to this union: George H. ; Libbie is the 



wife of B. F. Statlemeyer, of St. Louis; 
William A. died in St. Paul, Minnesota, 
when twenty-three years old. 

Our subject came to Illinois in 1856 and 
began railroading as a passenger conductor 
on the Illinois Central, where he remained 
for a period of forty-three years. He was 
also train master for six years. 

Having ever taken considerable interest 
in the development of Marion county in all 
lines, especially politically, he was elected 
Mayor of Centralia which office he very ably 
and acceptably filled for two terms. He ex- 
ercises the franchise of men and measures 
of the Republican party, and he feels a deep 
interest in all political affairs and is well in- 
formed on all the leading issues of the day. 
He has been a frequent delegate to the 
county, congressional and state conventions, 
and in 1896 was a delegate to the Republi- 
can National Convention. 

Mr. and Mrs. Rhodes attend the Presby- 
terian church at Centralia, which they liber- 
ally support. Mr. Rhodes is a Master Ma- 
son, having filled all the stations in the local 
Blue Lodge. He was made mark master, 
past master, most excellent master and 
Royal Arch Mason of No. 93 ; then council 
of No. 28, having filled the highest offices 
of these illustrious masters for five years. 
He went to the Commandery and served 
six terms as eminent commandery of the 
Scottish Rite, thirty-third degree, and as a 
life member served as sovereign grand and 
inspection general in the thirty-third and 
last degree. Mr. Rhodes is one of Cen- 
tralia's best known men. 



55« 



i: K it . u \ l- 1 1 1 1 \I. AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



I \THER JOHN H. BRL'NS. 

Although yet a young man the gentleman 

whi.se name introduces this biographical 
sketch has accomplished much toward ameli- 
orating the condition of his fellow men, 
often laboring with disregard for his own 
welfare if thereby he might attain the ob- 
ject he sought — to make some one better, 
happier. Such a life as his is rare and is 
eminently worthy of emulation, being 
singularly free from all that is deteriorating 
or paltry, for his inlluence is at all times 
uplifting and thousands of people have been 
made better for having known him. 

Father John H. Brans, who has done 
-neb a commendable work in promulgating 
the interests of the Catholic church and 
school in Centralia, Illinois, was born in 
Borken, Germany. June 30, 1870, the son 
of Joseph and Adalaid (Rademacher) 
I '.runs, being the oldest child of a family of 
eight children. He came to America in 
1880. His early education was obtained in 
the common schools of Europe and partly at 
Pinckneyville, Illinois. Under the Fran- 
ciscan Fathers at Tentrepolis. near Effing- 
ham, he studied the classics and graduated 
in 1 80 1 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts 
and as the valedictorian of his class, lie af- 
terward took a degree, Master of Arts, in a 
school of philosophy at Quincy, Illinois. 
Then he b ok a tree years' course in theology 
at St. Francis, near Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 
Being ambitious our subject applied himself 
in a most assiduous manner to his studies 
and made an excellent record in all those 
schools. 



F'ather Bruns was ordained to the priest- 
hood June 16, 1895, and soon thereafter as- 
signed to be assistant pastor at St. Peter's 
cathedral. Belleville. Illinois, where he re- 
mained for a period of eight years, having in 
the meantime accomplished much in the 
huiling up of this organization and winning 
a lasting monument in the hearts of the 
people of that church. He was appointed 
pastor at Centralia August 20. [903, and is 
at this writing. 1908, carrying on the work 
here with that discretion, energy and de- 
votion that insures abundant success. Many 
improvements have been inaugurated since 
his coming, among which might well be 
mentioned the installation of a new and 
modern heating system in the church and 
school, an addition to the school building, 
costing about three thousand and one hun- 
dred dollars, the purchase of a cemetery at 
a cost of one thousand and five hundred dol- 
lars, also the purchase of a hospital site at 
a cost of four thousand dollars. He has la- 
bored faithfully in the building up of the 
church and the school, the former now rep- 
resenting one hundred and sixty families, 
and there are at this writing one hundred 
and fifty-six pupils enrolled in the school. 
Three teachers are employed and the course 
includes the eighth grade work and a com- 
plete course of bookkeeping. Six sisters are 
employed to take care of the sick. When 
the work on the new hospital is completed 
a large number of sisters of the highest 
efficiency will be constantly engaged to care 
for the sick and those who arc brought for 
treatment. The church building is one of 
the handsomest in the city and would be 




REV. [< )ll.\ II. BRUNS. 




ST. MARY'S CATHOLIC CHURCH. 
Centralia, Illinois. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



559 



a pride to any city, having cost fifty thou- 
sand dollars. The parsonage cost four 
thousand dollars, and the school building 
proper cost five thousand dollars, the second 
floor of the school building having an ele- 
gant hall and stage, where entertainments 
and other exercises are held, such as socials 
for the church and the school. The original 
building of the hospital will cost when com- 
pleted about twenty-five thousand dollars. 
It will be so built that new additions can 
be added without marring the beauty and 
unity of any part. 

It has been no small task to do what 
Father Bruns has done. It required much 
hard work and a zeal and perseverance that 
only those who were closely connected with 
and took active part in the work of the 
parish can clearly understand and appreciate. 
Beside the business end of the work, he has 
been busy in building up the parish and 
raising the spiritual standing of the congre- 
gation, which is now in a good condition, 
both temporal and spiritual. 

In the purchase of property, the erection 
of buildings and in looking after the trans- 
actions attendant upon them he has shown 
business tact and energy, as well as a spirit 
of devotion to his church. His acts, both 
spiritual and temporal, have met with the 
united approval of his own people and all 
others. But these are too well known to 
require further detailed mention, and the 
writer knows that whatever of good the 
reverend priest may have accomplished he 
would far rather have it engraved on the 
hearts of the people than to be put into 



print, and that the approval of his own 
conscience and of his Divine Master are the 
reward he wishes for his labors in behalf of 
the church. 



LEWIS H. REED. 



The subject of this sketch has well earned 
the honor to be addressed as one of the 
progressive, public-spirited men of Marion 
county, since from the beginning of his 
residence here he has been conspicuously ac- 
tive, securing for himself the comforts of 
life and home and an ample competence 
for his declining years. Mr. Reed's home 
is at Centralia, where he is engaged in the 
drug business and wherever he is known he 
is held in the highest esteem owing to his 
life of honor and industry. 

Lewis H. Reed was born in Vermilion 
county, Indiana, December 20, 1849, the 
son of John W. and Sarah (Ralston) Reed, 
the former having been born August 3, 
1822, in Stokes county. North Carolina. 
He came to Indiana in 1832 with his par- 
ents, whose family consisted of six children, 
five boys and one girl, of whom the subject 
of this sketch was the third in order of birth. 
His mother was born February 7, 1827, in 
Brown county, Ohio, near Georgetown, and 
she came to Indiana when quite small, her 
family having located in Vermilion county. 
She was one of a family of five children, 
being the youngest child. John W. Reed 
was a Republican and a member of the 



5 6o 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



Methodist Protestant church. His wife was 
a Presbyterian in her youth, having been 
so reared, but later in life became a Metho- 
dist Protestant. There were eight children 
in the family of the parents of our subject, 
six boys and two girls, the subject beins^ 
the oldest in order of birth. 

Lewis II. Reed was educated in the pub- 
lic schools of Vermilion county. Indiana. 
He worked on his father's farm until twenty 
years old. He then entered Ascension Semi- 
nary in Sullivan. Sullivan county, Indiana. 
\fter obtaining a good education, having 
made a splendid record for scholarship in 
the last named school, he began teaching, 
which profession he followed with great 
success for a period of ten years, during 
which time he became well known as an able 
educator and his services were in great de- 
mand, having taught many successful terms 
in both Illinois and Indiana. 

Believing that a better field for his talents 
was to be found in the drug business he 
entered the same on March 28, 1879, in 
St. Bernice, Indiana. He continued in the 
drug business at St. Bernice until 1888, 
having built up an excellent trade and mak- 
ing a success of the business from the first. 
During that time he held the office of post- 
master under President Rutherford B. 
Hayes, having begun in May, 1 881, and con- 
tinued the same with much credit to himself 
and to the entire satisfaction of all concerned 
for five years, five months and fifteen days, 
when he resigned and moved to Mississippi, 
having remained one winter at Ocean 
Springs. In 1889 he removed t'> Centralia, 



Illinois, and held the office of Town Clerk 
for two terms, in a manner that elicited 
praise on every hand. 

.Mr. Reed is still in the drug business, 
having one of the best equipped and neatest 
stores in Centralia and he has an excellent 
patronage numbering many customers 
throughout the county. Owing to his court- 
eous treatment of customers and his inti- 
mate knowledge of the drug business his 
trade is always all that could be desired. 

Mr. Reed united in marriage to Isabella 
Benefiel on July 13, 1881. She is the 
daughter of Robert and Mary (Ingram) 
Benefiel, of Carlisle, Indiana. She was edu- 
cated in Edgar county, Illinois. Her father 
met an untimely death by being killed by a 
horse. 

Airs. Reed is a member of the Pythian 
Sisters, Lotus Temple Xo. 8, having 
passed all the chairs. She is a teacher in 
the I^irst Methodist Episcopal church Sun- 
day school, having been identified with 
Sunday school work for many years. She 
is a member of the Ladies' Aid and the 
Missionary societies of the church. Both 
Mr. and Mrs. Reed are faithful members 
of the Methodist Episcopal church. 

Politically our subject is a loyal Rcpnb 
lican and he takes a great interest in the 
affairs of his party. He is a member of 
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, 
Queen City No. 179, having been identi- 
fied with the same for the past twenty-five 
years and having passed all the chairs. He 
lias been representative to the Grand Lodge 
twice at Springfield, Illinois. He is also 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



tfl 



a past chief patriarch of the Centralia En- 
campment No. 75, having represented the 
Encampment twice at Springfield. He is 
also a member of Helmet lodge No. 26, 
Knights of Pythias, and has passed all the 
chairs in the same. 



JULIUS REINHARDT. 

Mr. Reinhardt is one of those characters 
whose integrity and personality must force 
them into an admirable notoriety, which 
their modesty never seeks, who command 
the respect of their contemporaries and their 
posterity and leave the impress of their in- 
dividuality upon the lives of those with 
whom they come in contact. 

Julius Reinhardt, jeweler and musician of 
Centralia, Marion county, and one of the 
representative business men and honorable 
citizens of this locality, was born in Leba- 
non, Illinois, May 16, 1874, the son of 
Charles, Sr., and Marie (Blass) Reinhardt. 
The father of the subject was born in Ger- 
many, near Saxony, and the subject's 
mother was born in Bavaria, Germany. 
They came to America when young and 
were married in St. Louis, Missouri. They 
are now both deceased, the father having 
been called from his earthly labors in 1905 
and the mother passed to her rest in 1904. 
There were eight children in their family, 
seven of whom are living in 1908, our sub- 
ject being the youngest in order of birth. 
36 



The early education of the subject of this 
sketch was obtained in the public schools of 
Lebanon, Illinois. Later he attended Mc- 
Kendree College, taking a business course 
in this institution and making a splendid 
record for scholarship. 

The domestic life of our subject dates 
from September 12, 1900, when he was 
united in marriage to Alberta Allmon, the 
representative of an influential family of 
Salem, Illinois, and to this union two sons 
and one daughter have been born, namely: 
Edwin A., Virginia M., and Julian, the two 
oldest being in school at this writing. 1908. 

Mr. Reinhardt's business life properly be- 
gan in 1889, when he launched in the jew- 
elry business in Centralia, having first lo- 
cated in Buck's drug store, conducting a re- 
pair shop. Since that time Mr. Reinhardt 
has been known as a conscientious as well 
as a skilled workman. He conducted this 
business for a period of three years, when 
he conducted a similar business with like 
success for a period of two years in Zar- 
beck's hardware store. He started in with 
a stock of jewelry in 1889 and he has 
gradually built up a trade, having been ex- 
tensively patronized from the first, until he 
now has a very extensive and beautiful stock 
of goods in commodious and elegant quar- 
ters, and he enjoys a liberal income, al- 
ways treating his numerous customers with 
the utmost courtesy and giving them full 
value received, having an intimate knowl- 
edge of the jewelry business and giving 
them the benefit of this knowledge by plac- 



5<- 



BIOGRAPHII W. \\n REMINISCENT HISTORV OF 



ing the best goods obtainable in bis store. 

In politics Mr. Reinhardt is strictly inde- 
pendent. Tbere are many features of each 
of the great parties which commend tbem- 
selves to him, but. from bis observation and 
experience, he has decided that far more 
depends on the man than on tbe platform. 
It has often been demonstrated tbat party 
pledges have never yet been fabricated out 
of indestructible material and sensible peo- 
ple know that nnue reliance can be placed 
upon tbe word and work of a truly honest 
man than upon the most sacred pledge of 
the best political party that was ever or- 
ganized. Hence tbe man and not the party 
should be the first consideration of the voter. 
That the subject is a man of much origin- 
ality of thought is clearly evidenced by the 
position he takes in politics. 

The parents of the subject were Presby- 
terians, but Mr. Reinhardt is not affiliated 
with any church organization, but his sup- 
port can always be depended upon in tbe 
advancement of any movement looking to 
the religious, moral, civic or educational 
welfare of the community. In his fraternal 
relations he i> a member of the modern 
\\'o< idmen. 

Mr. Reinhardt is a musician and is a 
member of the McNeil's orchestra of the 
Pittenger Grand Opera II iuse in Centralia, 
one of the leading musical organizations in 
this part of the state. < >ur subject has thor- 
oughly mastered the English language, be- 
ing able to -peak cither English or German 
fluently. Me is a man of genial personality, 
a perfect type of the true gentleman. 



JOHN L. DAVIS. 

A man of marked individuality, the sub- 
ject of this review is a typical representative 

of that large and enterprising class of busi- 
ness men to whom the great commonwealth 
of Illinois owes much of its prosperity and 
development, and his record shows him to 
have been faithful in the performance of his 
duty in the community, to his neighbors and 
to himself. 

John L. Davis was born in Centralia. 
Marion county. April 30, 1858. the son of 
Thomas P. and Wilhemina C. (Beal) Da- 
vis, the former having been born in Tennes- 
see, March 11. [827. The mother of the 
subject was born in Steinfeld, Germany, 
April 8, 1835. They were married in P.elle- 
ville. Illinois, in 1853. and they were the 
parents of ten children, eight boys and two 
giiT, our subject being the second child in 
order of birth. The subject's father was a 
carpenter and contractor in Centralia. to 
which place he came in 1855. His death 
occurred in 1N00. and that of his wife No- 
vember 6, 1908. Thomas P. Davis was a 
soldier during the Civil war, enlisting in 
1862 in Company II. Eightieth Illinois Vol- 
unteer Infantry, as a private. He served 
with bravery and valor in main- hard-fought 
battles in which bis regiment participated, 
and became corporal of his company. He 
was mustered out in the fall of 1864. 

John I.. Davis worked first on the fruit 
farms m Centralia township, until he was 
eighteen wars old, having in the meantime 
attended the public schools in Centralia. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



563 



where he received a fairly good education, 
having applied himself in a most diligent 
manner to his text-books. He went to work 
on the Illinois Central Railroad when a 
young man and continued in the employ of 
the same until 1901, having given this com- 
pany entire satisfaction. Two years were 
spent in the shoe business, and in 1901 he 
returned to the same business and he is now 
to be found daily in his store where he has a 
liberal patronage owing to his courtesy and 
his intimate knowledge of the shoe business, 
always giving his customers, many of whom 
come from remote parts of Marion county, 
the worth of their money, for he handles a 
high-class line of goods. His store is well 
kept, everything about it showing system 
and careful management. The store is lo- 
cated at 144 East Broadway. 

Our subject was united in marriage to 
Mary C. Marsh, December 16, 1880. She 
is the refined daughter of R. L. T. and 
Catherine (Sherwood) Marsh, who were 
the parents of four children, our subject's 
wife being the second in order of birth. 

The pleasant and comfortable home of 
Mr. and Mrs. Davis has been brightened 
by the birth of the following children : 
Thomas M., who married L. Myrtle Denny, 
living at Cliffs, Washington; Ralph R., who 
married Edith Pease, and who is living in 
Springfield. Idaho; John June is assistant 
State Entomologist at Urbana, Illinois; 
Harley A. is in the Art Institute at Chicago, 
Illinois; Reba C. is now (1908) at home 
and is attending high school at Centralia. 

John L. Davis, our subject, is a member 



of the Free and Accepted Masons, Lodge 
No. 201 ; the Royal Arch Chapter No. 93 ; 
Council No. 28 ; Commandery No. 23 ; 
Oriental Consistory of Chicago. He also 
belongs to the Order of Railway Conduc- 
tors, Centralia Division, No. 112. 

In politics Mr. Davis is a Republican and 
takes a great interest in local affairs, always 
desiring good men in the county offices and 
lending his aid in placing them. 

In religious matters Mr. Davis is identi- 
fied with the Baptist church, as is also his 
wife and children. 

He has been frequently called upon to 
serve the public in some official capacity, 
and has very ably held the office of Alder- 
man for one term and has been on the Board 
of Education for three terms, during which 
time the interests of the city and the schools 
were carefully considered by Mr. Davis and 
much good accomplished by his suggestions, 
which were usually followed out. He has 
filled all the chairs of the lodges of his mem- 
bership to the Consistory, and is now treas- 
urer in all these four lodges of which he is 
a very loyal member. He has been secretary 
of the railroad division of the lodge of Rail- 
road Conductors since 1890, and also was 
its first secretary, from 1884 to 1886. He 
was also chief conductor from 1886 to 1888. 



LUCIAN O. WILSON. 

Among the popular citizens of Centralia, 
Marion county, Illinois, is the gentleman 



564 



BIOGRAPHU \l. \M> REMINISCENT HISTORY < >F 



whose name appears at the head of this 
-ketch, the well known assistant postmas- 
ter, who was horn in Xew Albany, Indiana, 
July 12, iN(><>, the son of Oliver O. and 
Maggie E. (Mathews) Wilson. His 
father's family consisted of three children, 
our subject being the second child and only 
son. His parents were both natives of Indi- 
ana. Oliver O. Wilson was superintendent 
of the Indiana Reformatory. He is now de- 
ceased, as is also his wife, who passed away 
March 30, 1900. Our subject was five 
years old at the time of his father's death. 

The early education of the subject of this 
sketch was gained in the public schools, 
where he applied himself as best he could 
and gained a fairly good education. He 
went to work in the Nail Mill of Centralia, 
w 1 >rking for two years as a nail cutter, and 
was later employed by F. D. Rexford, of 
the Centralia House, and worked there for 
a period of seventeen years, having given 
entire satisfaction in each of these lines, be- 
ing industrious and quick to gain a knowl- 
edge of the business. He was clerk and 
general utility man in the latter's employ. 
1 le then went to Boone, Iowa, and managed 
the Cole Hotel for one and one-half years, 
selling out and returning to Centralia in 
March, [903, where he was appointed as- 
sistant postmaster under E. L. Welton. He 
has very creditably and satisfactorily filled 
this position to the entire satisfaction of all 
concerned. 

Mr. Wilson was united in marriage with 
Xellie Surles September 11, 1900. 

< )ne daughter brightens the home of Mr. 



and Mrs. Wilson, bearing the name of 
Helen Lucile, whose date of birth occurred 
March 14, 1903. 

Mr. Wilson in his fraternal relations is 
a member of Blue Lodge, Free and Accepted 
Masons, No. 201 ; also the Centralia Chap- 
ter No. 93 ; and Council Xo. 28, Cyrene 
Commandery No. 23. He also belongs 
to the Oriental Consistory, of Chicago, 
also a member of the Mystic Shrine, of 
Madina Temple, Chicago. He is a mem- 
ber of the Knights of Pythias, Xo. 26, of 
Centralia. 

In his political relations Mr. Wilson is a 
loyal Republican. His mother was a mem- 
br of the Christian, but he and his wife wor- 
ship in the Baptist church. Mr. Wilson was 
at one time a member of the Centralia Vol- 
unteer Fire Department. 

Our subject has by pluck, energy and 
enterprise, controlled by correct principles 
and founded upon strict integrity and honor, 
attained to a position meriting the respect 
and admiration of his fellow citizens, which 
they freely accord. 



V C. R VRXES. 



The prominence of the subject of this 
sketch in connection with the professional 
and civic affairs of Marion count}- is such 
that he is regarded as one of its representa- 
tive citizens, having for a number of years 
been one of the leading business men of the 
thriving city of Centralia, and ever showing 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES; ILLINOIS. 



565 



by his fealty to high principles and his ac- 
tivity in promoting the affairs of the county 
that he merits the confidence of all. 

A. C. Barnes was born at Richview, Illi- 
nois, ten miles south of Centralia, Febru- 
ary 13, 1853, the son of J. W. and Nancy 
(Johnson) Barnes, the former having been 
born in Gallatin, Tennessee, July 2. 1818. 
He was left an orphan at the age of five 
years and when twelve years of age he was 
bound out to a saddle maker for a period 
of four years, at the end of which time he 
purchased a horse, saddle and bridle and 
rode to Mt. Vernon, this state, where he 
called upon William Thome, the first saddle 
maker in Mt. Vernon, who refused to give 
him a job because he was too young, his 
age then being eighteen years. But nothing 
daunted, he purchased the material with 
which to make a saddle which he accord- 
ingly did and presented it to Mr. Thorne, 
who hired the boy for three years. This 
was in 1836. 

Two years later J. W. Barnes was mar- 
ried to Nancy Johnson. He soon thereafter 
moved to a farm near old Shiloh, later 
moving to Washington county, where he 
farmed and lived comfortably until 1888 
when he moved to Centralia, where he 
passed to his rest September 17, 1905, after 
a successful business career in Centralia. 
having purchased the L. C. Demmick har- 
ness shop in this city in 1888, having stood 
just south of the old National Bank. His 
son, A. C, our subject, bought his business. 
He was living with his son when he died. 
Nancy Johnson was born in 181 3 in Ken- 



tucky. Her father was an itinerant Metho- 
dist Episcopal preacher, who came to Illi- 
nois in 18 18 and settled on a farm at 
Shiloh church, where he farmed and 
preached and where both he and his good 
wife passed to the silent land. Four chil- 
dren were born to Mr. and Mrs. J. W. 
Barns, as follows: L. R., who married 
Laura Robinson, daughter of Elder J. A. 
and Eliza Robinson, and they became the 
parents of six children, one of whom is liv- 
ing. L. R. Barnes was in the famous One 
Hundred and Eleventh Illinois Volunteer 
Infantry during the war between the states, 
under the late Gen. James S. Martin, of 
Salem, having gone out in 1862 and was 
discharged at the close of the war, having 
been in the grand review at Washington 
City. Louise, the second child of the par- 
ents of our subject, married a Mr. Under- 
wood and is now living in Oklahoma, be- 
ing the mother of four living children, one 
child deceased. John T., the third child 
of Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Barnes, enlisted in 
the Sixtieth Illinois Volunteer Infantry un- 
der Colonel Anderson, at Mt. Vernon, and 
he re-enlisted in 1863. He came home on a 
furlough. Rejoining his regiment, he re- 
mained at the front until the close of the 
war when he was mustered out. He mar- 
ried and in 1885 removed to Wichita 
county, Kansas, where he located on three 
hundred and twenty acres of land. He has 
a family of four girls and one boy. He now 
lives at Leota, Kansas. 

Our subject, A. C. Barnes, came to Cen- 
tralia in 1 89 1 with his father. He had re- 



5 66 



hiockaimiuwi. and REMINISCENT history OF 



ceived a good education in the district 
schools of Washington county, Illinois, hav- 
ing left school at the age of sixteen years 
and went to work for himself. Being a 
loyal Republican and having taken an inter- 
est in political affairs from early manhood, 
his friends elected him Sheriff of Marion 
county in 1904 and he served with much 
credit. When his term had expired he re- 
turned to business. In 1902 he was elected 
Treasurer of the city of Centralia for two 
years and served in a most acceptable man- 
ner in this capacity. Mr. Barnes lias an ex- 
cellent business in the harness and repair 
trade, his shop being well equipped and he 
has become widely known throughout the 
county. 

Mr. Barnes married Susan M. Gunn, 
1 laughter of J. C. and Caroline Gunn, of 
Richview, the ceremony that made them one 
having been performed at Kinmundy, this 
county, July 20, 1880. He was first mar- 
ried in 1873 to Sarah Anderson, a native 
of Ohio, and she died at the birth of James, 
their onl\ son, who was born October 18, 
1878. He is now living at Lafayette, In- 
diana, being in the printing business as a 
linotype expert. He married Lottie Had- 
den, of Kinmundy, and they have three chil- 
dren, two boys and one girl. 

Our subject ably served for a period of 
five years , ,n the Board of Education in 
Kansas, where he lived for several years, 
and while on the board just mentioned they 
built two elegant school-houses. 

Fraternally Mr. Bames is a member of 
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at 



Centralia, having originally joined that or- 
der at Pittsburg, Kansas, in 1886. He is 
also a member of the Knights of Pythias, 
having joined Lodge Xo. 26, in Centralia 
in 1893. He became a Mason in Salem in 
1896, and joined the Modem Woodmen of 
America in 1897. He follows the example 
of his pe< >ple by worshiping with the Metho- 
dist denomination. 

Our subject is a man of unusual imposing 
physique, possessing great physical strength 
and endurance. He also has a strong mind 
and the power of concentration, is congenial 
and makes friends readily which he always 
retains. 



JACOB D. BREEZE. 

Dependant very largely upon his own re- 
sources from early youth, the subject of this 
sketch has attained to no insignificant suc- 
cess, and though he may have, like many 
another business man, met with some mis- 
fortune and encountered many obstacles he 
has pressed steadily forward, ever willing 
to work for the end which he has in view. 
He has become one of the leading mer- 
chants of Centralia, Illinois, and he has 
built up a business that is known through- 
1 ut the county. 

Jacob D. Breeze was born September 2j, 
1 868, in Washington county. Illinois, the 
son of David and Eliza (Baldwin) Breeze. 
There were fourteen children in their 
family, eight of whom are living in 1908, 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES. ILLINOIS. 



567 



our subject being the eighth in order of 
birth ; of those living seven are boys and 
one a girl. David Breeze was born in Jef- 
ferson county, Illinois, in 1844, and died 
when fifty-two years old, after a busy and 
useful life. The subject's mother is still 
living in Jefferson county on the old home 
place and, although advanced in years, en- 
joys fairly good health. She was born in 
Washington county, this state. 

Jacob D. Breeze received his early edu- 
cation in the common schools of his native 
community and remained at home until he 
reached maturity. 

Air. Breeze was united in marriage with 
Ida V. Walker on October 22, 1885. She 
was the daughter of G. W. and Esther 
(Breeze) Walker, being the fourth child in 
a family consisting of five children. To 
our subject and wife two children have been 
born, both bright and interesting, namely : 
Jewell, whose date of birth is recorded as 
May 30, 1897; an d Lottie, who was born 
October 2, 1899. Both are attending the 
public schools in Centralia. 

After leaving school at the age of eight- 
een years, our subject went to work on a 
farm in that neighborhood in Jefferson 
county and made a success of this line of 
work, but believing that the city of- 
fered greater inducements to him, he came 
to Centralia and began the livery, feed and 
sale business, and for five years made this a 
marked success in every respect when he sold 
out and started in the implement and harness 
business, which he has since conducted, the 
firm name being Breeze & Watts. They enjoy 



a liberla patronage, their trade extending to 
all parts of the county, for they handle an 
up-to-date and carefully selected stock at all 
times, and their prices are always right. 
Here all customers are accorded the most 
courteous treatment by the managers and 
their efficient employes. This store has a floor 
space of one hundred and sixty by forty feet. 
In politics our subject is a Republican and 
always takes a great interest in political af- 
fairs, lending what assistance he can in 
placing the best men possible in local offices. 
Mr. Breeze follows the precepts of his par- 
ents and is a faithful member of the Chris- 
tian church. He is always on the right side 
of all public questions. 



FOWLER BROTHERS. 

One of the most extensive, modern and 
systematically managed plumbing" concerns 
in Southern Illinois is that conducted by the 
firm of Fowler Brothers at Centralia, be- 
ing worthy successors of their father, Reu- 
ben G. Fowler. 

This firm's place of business fronts on 
South Locust street and South Second 
street. They carry a full and complete line 
of plumbing supplies, heating, electrical and 
gas fixtures and supplies, also fire clay and 
fire brick. They have two neat show and 
display rooms. All the latest, complete, 
automatic machinery, run by electric dyna- 
mos for heating, lighting and plumbing, are 
to be found here. They also carry a full 



5 68 



B kU'lll' \l. AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



line of nickel-plated plumbing supplies. An 
extensive business is carried on and is being 
constantly enlarged and extended to meet 
the growing demands of the trade of South- 
ern Illinois and adjoining states. 

Harry A. bowler married Mattie Adams, 
of Centralia, and they are the parents of 
one little girl, who bears the pretty name, 
Marjorie. 

John R. Fowler, the younger member of 
the firm, was educated in the Centralia city 
schools, and began when quite young to 
learn his father's trade of plumbing. He is 
a practical and up-to-date artist in his work 
as well as a good business man. He has a 
state certificate, awarded to him in 1902 for 
his thoroughness and proficiency in his 
chosen occupation. Harry and John Fowler 
are both members of the National Plumbers 
and Steam Fitters Association, and are also 
graduates in this line of the International 
Correspondance School, of Scranton, Penn- 
sylvania, and they are keeping pace with 
twentieth century methods. They have a 
good business and enjoy the entire confi- 
dence of their many friends and patrons in 
Marion county and throughout this part of 
the state. 



ELMER E. COPPLE. 

In the development of Marion county the 
subject of this biography has borne an im- 
portant part, for he has long been identified 
with the farming and business life of the lo- 
cality, and while advancing his own interests 



he has not been neglectful of his duty to his 
fellow citizens, therefore he is accorded a 
full measure of esteem by all who know 
him. 

Elmer E. Copple was born January 9, 
1862, on the old Copple homestead in Cen- 
tralia township, this county, the son of Eli 
Copple, a complete sketch of whom appears 
elsewhere in this volume. However, it is 
not amiss here to state that the father of the 
subject was born January 8, 1820, in Clark 
county. Illinois, the son of David Copple, 
a native of Germany, who married Lavina 
Huckleberry first and later Permelia King. 
They came to Marion county. Illinois, in 
1832 and settled in section 32, Centralia 
township, where they entered wild land and 
set about improving it like the rest of the 
pioneers of that time, and they lived and 
died at this place. He had only a limited 
opportunity to attend school in the old log 
school-houses. Although self-learned he he- 
came an excellent speller and scholar. He 
was a large farmer, stock dealer and 
breeder. In 1874 he went to Europe and 
imported some French Norman horses. He 
never aspired to office although an active 
Republican, lie started in life in a small 
way. but worked hard and was very suc- 
cessful. He was a member of the Metho- 
dist church. 

He first married Martha Flannagan, of 
Jefferson county, Illinois, who died in 1850. 
and his second wife was Sarah Dolson. The 
following five children were born to Eli 
Copple and his first wife: Arminda, who 
married \Y. A. Dolson. of Fullerton, Ne- 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



5 6 9 



braska ; Loretta, who married A. J. Hardley, 
of Irvington, Illinois; three children died 
in infancy. Seven children were born to 
Eli Copple and his second wife, namely : 
Charles, a farmer in Nebraska ; Mary mar- 
ried Joseph Baldridge, and she died in 
1899; Julia married H. S. Baldridge, who 
lives in Seattle, Washington ; Willis, a 
farmer in Centralia township, Marion 
county, who married a Miss Patton ; Elmer 
E., our subject; Robert, a farmer in Cen- 
tralia township, who married Lillian Ethel 
Leonard; Ada is the wife of T. S. Kell, who 
now lives on the old Copple homestead with 
Mrs. Copple. 

The subject of this sketch lived at home 
and attended the neighboring schools. He 
married September 9, 1883, to Ida A. Bald- 
ridge, of Jefferson county, Illinois, who was 
born in Grand Prairie township, the daugh- 
ter of Thomas and Mary (Williams) Bald- 
ridge, the former a native of Jefferson 
county, Illinois, and the latter of Virginia. 
She died in 1870, and Mr. Baldridge was 
again married, his second wife being Miss 
M. E. Allen, of Jefferson county, this state. 
It was in that county that he spent his life 
on a farm, dying there in 1904. His second 
wife died in February, 1908. 

Four children have been born to the sub- 
ject and wife, as follows : M. Allen, who 
married Nellie Root Carpenter, of Cen- 
tralia, and who are the parents of two chil- 
dren, Lola and Vera ; Ralph Roy, who is 
living at home, is a graduate of the Cen- 
tralia high school; Dwight and Ruth are the 
youngest children. 



In 1883 our subject located on his present 
place in Centralia township. It was then a 
new place and Mr. Copple has made all the 
improvements on it, bringing it up to any 
place in the township. He is regarded as a 
good farmer and an excellent judge of 
stock and his farm is carefully managed, 
yielding excellent harvests of all kinds from 
year to year. His home place consists of 
two hundred and forty acres, thirty acres 
of which are in peaches, apples and pears. 
This is a most valuable orchard, consisting 
of a fine variety of excellent fruit, and 
since Mr. Copple is something of an expert 
horticulturist, no small part of his income is 
derived from this source. He carries on a 
general farming. His dwelling is a most 
convenient and substantial one, and his 
barns and out buildings are of the best. 



ELI COPPLE. 



The subject of this sketch, who has passed 
to his rest, is well remembered by the peo- 
ple of Marion county, where he so long la- 
bored not only for his own advancement 
but also for that of the community at large, 
therefore, it is with pleasure that we give 
a record of his honorable career in this 
book, believing that it will be an inspira- 
tion to the younger generation who per- 
use it. 

Eli Copple was born January 8, 1820, in 
Washington county, Indiana, the son of Da- 
vid Copple, who was born in Germany and 



570 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT lll>l<>KY (>!•' 



when a young man came to America with 
his parents, locating with them in North 
Carolina. Later they came to Clark county, 
Indiana, where the parents died. David 
Copple grew to manhood in Clark county, 
Indiana, where he married Lavina Huckle- 
berry, of German-Irish extract. David 
Copple and wife located in Washington 
county, Indiana, in 1818, and fourteen years 
later they came to Marion county, Illinois, 
where they both died in Centralia township. 
He was considered one of the valued and 
leading citizens of the community in which 
he lived. They were the parents of twelve 
children, all but one of whom grew to ma- 
turity, namely: James lived in Centralia 
township and was twice married, first to 
Jane Wells and second to Emily Huckle- 
berry; Elizabeth married Jacob Breeze; 
Angeline married Henry Bingaman, and 
they are living in Crete, Nebraska; Eli, our 
subject; Christiana married M. P. Hester, 
of Centralia township, and they are both de- 
ceased ; Samuel is deceased; John Harvey 
is also deceased ; Edmund is a farmer living 
in Grand Prairie, Illinois; Julia married 
Marion Roper, who is now deceased, but she 
is living in Grand Prairie; David, now de- 
ceased, was a farmer living in Centralia 
township; Pollie A. is living in Kansas, hav- 
ing married David Roper, who is deceased. 
Eli Copple was reared in Centralia town- 
Marion county, Illinois, and was 
among the successful farmers of that vicin- 
ity, having come with his parents to this 
county when twelve years of age and lo- 
cated on what is known as the Seven-Mile- 



Prairie. He was reared among the wild 
scenes of the frontier and developed thereby 
a sturdy manhood. He was first married in 
1840 to Martha Flannagan, a native of Jef- 
ferson county, Illinois, who died in 1850. 
Two children, who grew to maturity, were 
born to them. Arminda married William 
Dolson, who is living in Fullerton, Nebras- 
ka; Loretta married A. J. Hartley, of Irv- 
ington, Illinois. The subject of this sketch 
married a second time, his last wife being 
Sarah Dolson. daughter of Allen and Mary 
Louisa (White) Dolson, the wedding occur- 
ring in February, 185 1. Mr. Dolson was 
a native of New York, near Albany, on the 
Hudson river. His wife was born in Geor- 
gia. Allen Dolson was the son of Peter and 
Rachael (Quinby) Dolson, both natives of 
New York. Mr. Dolson was a farmer. Al- 
len Dolson came west when a boy alone, go- 
ing to the Piatt river country, Nebraska, 
having lived among the Indians for a time. 
He descended the Missouri river in a canoe 
to St. Louis, later to Carlyle, Illinois, and 
then went to Grand Prairie, Jefferson coun- 
ty, Illinois, where he devoted his life to 
farming. He entered government land. He 
came to Marion county, where he and his 
wife both died. The following children 
were born to them : Sarah, the subject's 
wife; Robert, Elizabeth, Melville, all de- 
ceased; Mary is living in Kansas; Christina, 
deceased ; William, living in Nebraska ; 
Harvey is living in Kansas. The subject 
and his second wife were the parents of 
seven children, namely: Charles, a farmer 
living in Fullerton, Nebraska, was first mar- 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



571 



ried to Lucy Jackson, second to Sarah Aver- 
ill; Mary married Joseph Baldridge, and 
she is now deceased ; Julia is the wife of 
Harvey Baldridge and they are living in 
Seattle, Washington ; Willis is living in Cen- 
tralia township on a farm, having married 
Henrietta Patton ; Elmer, living in Centralia 
township; Robert, living on a farm in Cen- 
tralia township, married Lillian Ethel Leon- 
ard ; Ada May married T. S. Kell and they 
are living with the subject's mother on the 
old home place, the parents of one son, Cecil 
Edward. 

After a very active and useful life, re- 
plete with success and honor, Eli Copple 
passed to his reward August 14, 1905. 

Our subject started in life under none too 
favorable circumstances, but his father gave 
him one hundred and sixty acres of wild 
land and he worked hard and became suc- 
cessful. He was thrifty and a good man- 
ager, and at one time owned as much as 
two thousand acres. He carried on a gen- 
eral farming and stock raising business and 
was eminently successful in both, becoming 
known as one of the leading citizens of Ma- 
rion county. In 1874 he made a trip to 
France and imported a large number of Nor- 
man horses of a very fine quality. Besides 
raising some fine horses he always raised 
many good cattle, hogs and sheep. He was 
an organizer and leading member of the 
Farmers' Club of Marion county. 

The subject cast his first vote for Wil- 
liam Henry Harrison and since that time 
was a loyal Republican. He was a faith- 
ful member of the Methodist Episcopal 



church and a liberal subscriber of the same. 
He erected his first substantial and commo- 
dious brick home in 1872 and he and his 
noble and faithful wife made all the im- 
provements about the place. No man in 
the county was better or more favorably 
known than he and everyone remembers 
him as a very polite and kindly gentleman, 
as well as a very able business man, and 
therefore his influence for good in the coun- 
ty was very great. 



COL. NAPOLEON B. MORRISON. 

The life of the subject of this biography 
has not been altogether devoid of the spec- 
tacular, but has been entirely free from os- 
tentation, and he has never forced himself 
on public attention, yet his fellow citizens 
recognize in this venerable character a man 
of genuine worth, whose every duty has 
been discharged with commendable fidelity 
and whose influence has always been exer- 
cised for the good of his kind. He has trav- 
eled extensively and come in contact with 
the world in such a way as to quicken his 
perception, enlarge his mental vision and 
give him ideas of men and things such as 
he could not have obtained by spending his 
life in one locality, and as a result of his 
altogether consistent career he has won the 
esteem of all who know him. 

Col. Napoleon B. Morrison was born in 
Waterford, Vermont, Februray 12, 1824. 
and reared in New Hampshire by sturdy 



57- 



BIOGRAPHK \I. AND REMINISCENT 1 1 IS'li >KV OF 



New England parents. He is the son of 
Moses F. ami Zilpha (Smith) Morrison. 
< iiaiulfather Morrison was of Scotch-Irish 
lineage from Londonderry, Ireland, who set- 
tled in Londonderry, New Hampshire. Our 
subject is a direct descendant of Samuel 
Morrison, who was a charter member of 
Londonderry. Grandfather Smith was a 
Revolutionary soldier. lie was born in 
New Hampshire, where he spent his days 
on a farm. He had eight children, seven 
boys and one girl; all lived to maturity. 

The subject's father was a graduate of 
Dartmouth College and became a physician, 
devoting his entire life to practice, having 
remained in the eastern states. He was an 
extensive writer and was assistant geologist 
of the state of Xew Hampshire. A number 
of his manuscripts are yet in perfect condi- 
tio;], and they are considered of much value. 
He lived to be about seventy years old. He 
was a Christian man of advanced thought 
and culture, who could not be tied down to 
any dogma or creed. He followed his pro- 
fession with energy, enthusiasm and love, 
love for the science and love for the pa- 
tients, therefore he not only became well 
grounded in his profession but had hosts of 
loyal friends. He endeavored to discover 
the cause of disease and treat it from that 
standpoint. 

Eight of his children grew to maturity. 
Two died in infancy. They followed the 
various avocations of educated men. 

The subject of this sketch first attended 
the public schools in Xew Hampshire, later 
went to tin- academy at Newburry. Ver- 



mont, where he prepared for college. He 
then took a course in civil engineering which 
profession he followed for a period of 
twenty years with great success in Xew 
Hampshire, Vermont, Xew York, Ohio and 
Illinois. In 1 849 and 1 850 he surveyed and 
located the Marietta & Cincinnati Railroad 
from Chillicothe to Cincinnati, Ohio, which 
has since been absorbed by the Baltimore & 
Ohio Railway, and became a part of thai 
great system. It is now known as the Bal- 
timore & Ohio Southwestern. 

In 1862 he settled in Odin. Marion 
county, where he has lived ever since. 
Twenty-three years ago, from 1908, he 
opened the coal mine here which has been 
running successfully all the time since, and 
it has been under his immediate manage- 
ment ever since it was started. It is incor- 
porated and our subject has been the presi- 
dent from the start. The capacity is one 
thousand tons daily. Last year the mine 
produced two hundred and forty thousand 
tons. It is operated with two hundred 
miners and is always a very busy place. 

The coal produced here is of a very high 
grade and always finds a ready market. 
Colonel Morrison also has large farming in- 
terests in this county, and an excellent stock 
ranch. He breeds high grade cattle, having 
some thoroughbreds. His cattle are usu- 
ally fattened on ^r;i^ for the market, and 
11.. small portion of his yearly income is de- 
rived from his shipments of live stock which 
always demand high prices owing to their 
fine quality. His farms are kept in a high 
state of improvement and are up-to-date in 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



57$ 



every respect, showing that a man of un- 
usual soundness of judgment has their man- 
agement in hand. 

Colonel Morrison has frequently been 
called upon to display his innate ability in 
public offices, having faithfully served for 
twelve years as Police Judge, and he served 
his people in a most praiseworthy manner in 
the legislature for two terms, during which 
time he won an enviable reputation as a law 
maker, and his advice and sound counsel 
were always listened to with the greatest re- 
spect by his colleagues in the house. 

Colonel Morrison likes to tell of the early 
days. When he was born there was neither 
mill nor railroad in his section of the state. 
He was three years old when the first stone 
was hauled to build the Bunker Hill monu- 
ment. The entire railroad and telegraph 
system has been built up since he can re- 
member. He was in Chicago when the con- 
tract v as let for building the Illinois Central 
Railrc ad. Mr. Morrison will soon be eighty- 
five years old, and is as active and hale as 
ever, being as active in his business manage- 
ment as at any time during his life. He 
built the first dwelling house in Odin. He 
has seen land sell under the government for 
twenty-five cents per acre that is now worth 
two hundred dollars per acre. He has long 
been actively associated with the locating 
and building of railroads, and is an enthu- 
siastic believer in the useful results obtained 
by means of railroad facilities. 

Colonel Morrison's married life dates 
from 1853, when he was united in the bonds 
of wedlock with Lavinia M. Smart, daugh- 



ter of Judge Hugh and Elizabeth (Hughes) 
Smart, of Ohio. Six children have been 
born to Colonel Morrison and wife as fol- 
lows: Sadie; Jean, who is the wife of 
Hamilton Rapp, of Santa Fe, New Mexico. 
He is an architect, plans and superintends 
the territorial buildings. Jessie, the sub- 
ject's third child, is deceased; Helen is the 
wife of Doctor Fyke, of Centralia, Illinois, 
and the mother of three daughters, Jean, 
Helen and Lavinia ; Charles Hugh has 
charge of the coal mine and its interests, and 
is general manager of his father's business. 
He was a student of the State University at 
Champaign, Illinois, and as a business man 
he ranks high in the county, being well and 
favorably known to the business world ; 
Vedie, the subject's sixth child, is deceased. 
When Colonel Morrison came to Illinois 
there were neither settlements nor settlers in 
this part of the commonwealth on all of the 
broad prairies. From 1892 to 1898 he was 
a member of the Board of Trustees of the 
University of Illinois, and was chairman of 
the Committee on Agriculture. After an 
investigation he found there was but one 
professor and four students in the agricul- 
tural college of the state of Illinois. He at 
once set about remedying this condition, 
and it was due to his agitation and efforts 
that this department was brought up to its 
present day state of efficiency, it being rec- 
ognized at present as one of the most effect- 
ive departments of the State University. He 
has on his own farm an experimental sta- 
tion which is conducted under the supervis- 
ion of the Agricultural College at 



5> 



BIOGRAPHICAL \ \ 1 • KKM l M S( I \ l HISTORY OF 



Champaign, ami also of the agricultural 
department at Washington. He has as a 
result of his faithful work, been invited to 
accompany special trains which have trav- 
eled over all the trunk lines in Illinois, giv- 
ing lectures and practical demonstrations of 
the excellent work which has been accom- 
plished at the college. On the Illinois Cen- 
tral mad he also visited the states of Missis- 
sippi and Louisiana in this capacity. 



SIDNEY BREEZE. 



Notwithstanding the fact that the life his- 
tory of the man whose name appears above 
has been closed by the hand of death, his 
influence still permeates the lives of those 
he came in contact with. His was a life of 
noble deeds and consistency to the truth in 
all its phases. 

Sidney Breeze was born in Rome town- 
ship, Jefferson county, Illinois, February 15. 
1N4J. and he passed to his rest July 2, 1889. 
He was the son of Owen and Margaret 
( Falkner) Breeze, the former a native of 
Indiana, and the latter of Kentucky. Owen 
Breeze came to Illinois when a young man. 
with his parents, and settled in Rome town- 
ship. Jefferson county, being among die pio- 
neers of that district. They engaged in 
farming, and both died in Grand Prairie 
township. They were the parents of three 
children, Martha Jane, who married Henry 
West, is living in Irvington, Illinois: Sid- 
ney, our subject; Harriet, who married 
Ji iseph : mo iunty, this state. 

Mr. Breeze, our subject, attended the 



country schools, and the subscription schools 
and lived at home until his marriage, No- 
vember 26, 1863, *" Maria Stonecipher, 
who was Iwrn October 14, 1843, m Harri- 
son county. Indiana, and a daughter of Ja- 
cob and Sarah ( Riley) Stonecipher, the 
former having been born in Harrison coun- 
ty, and the latter of North Carolina. The 
Stoneciphcrs are of German descent, and the 
Rileys of Irish ancestry. Jacob and Sarah 
Stonecipher were the parents of six chil- 
dren, namely: William, a retired farmer, 
living in Centralia township ; Franklin died 
during the Civil war, having been a mem- 
ber of Company H, Forty-eighth Illinois 
Volunteer Infantry. His death occurred in 
Tennessee. Sarah, the third child, married 
James Steward, of Centralia, Illinois. I lenry 
and Etta, the fourth and fifth children, are 
twins. Henry is in the West. Etta is de- 
ceased. Marion was the second child in 
order of birth. 

To our subject and wife eight children 
have been born, namely: Oscar L.. a farmer 
in Jefferson county, Illinois; Alva, a hostler 
for the Illinois Central Railroad, living in 
Centralia, Illinois; Gilla died April 5, 1884; 
Julia Ann married James Holland and is liv- 
ing in Centralia; Clara died June 11, 1900; 
Lawrence died September 14, 1875; Albert 
is living in Jefferson county, Illinois, on a 
farm; Zina, a farmer and clerk, is living at 
h< une. 

The subject's children were educated in 
the home schools. Zina not only attended 
the home schools, but he also attended 
school at Jackson, Tennessee, in the South- 
western Baptist University, where he made 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



575 



a splendid record for scholarship. He has 
always remained at home with his parents. 
He clerked in a most successful manner in a 
store at Walnut Hill, and he has been equal- 
ly successful as a farmer. 

After his marriage Sidney Breeze lived 
in Grand Prairie township, Jefferson 
county. In 1866 he moved to Rome town- 
ship, Jefferson county, Illinois. He bought a 
farm consisting of five hundred acres in one 
body, and he was a most successful agricul- 
turist, being known as a man of good judg- 
ment and industrious habits. In 195 the 
family moved to Walnut Hill, where they 
have since resided. They still own the old 
homestead. The subject was a loyal Re- 
publican, but he never aspired for office. 
Both he and his estimable wife were mem- 
bers of the Christian church for many years, 
and were always active in church work. Mr. 
Breeze is remembered as a man of gentle 
disposition which won him hosts of friends. 
In his fraternal relations he was a member 
of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, 
having belonged to this order for a period 
of twenty-five years, lodge No. 710, Walnut 
Hill, and he took a great deal of interest in 
lodge work. He was a useful man, and his 
good deeds and honorable life will long be 
remembered by the people of Marion 
county. 



WILLIAM A. HARTLEY. 

The subject of this sketch wears the 
proud title of one of the "boys in blue", a 
title that anyone might justly be proud to 



bear, for such privilege does not come to 
many men in a country, and we of the after- 
math are glad to respect those of this class, 
but this is not the only reason why the sub- 
ject of this sketch is entitled to representa- 
tion in a work of this nature, having been 
a man of industry, honesty and influence 
during his long life in Marion county. 

William A. Hartley was born in Jefferson 
county, Grand Prairie township, February 
25. 1841, the son of Hugh Hartley, who 
was born in 1805, and who married Nancy 
Huckleberry. The former was a native of 
Virginia and the latter of Indiana. William 
Hartley, the subject's grandfather, a shoe- 
maker by trade, was a native of Virginia, 
having been born and grew up in Monon- 
gahela county. In 18 16 he came to Clark 
county, Indiana, and later moving to 
Charlestown, Indiana, where he died in 
1844. Then Hugh Hartley, the subject's 
father, came to Jefferson county in 1839. 
He was married in Indiana. He purchased 
two hundred acres of wild land in Grand 
Prairie township. He improved the place 
and lived there until his death in 1871. His 
wife died in 1896, at the advanced age of 
eighty-eight years. 

In early life he devoted his time to shoe- 
making. He was in Chicago when city lots 
were selling for five and ten dollars each. 
He served during the Black Hawk war of 
1832 in Arkansas, where he remained until 
the close of hostilities. He was a great 
reader and debater. He was an active Dem- 
ocrat, although he never held office. He 
was a member of the Methodist church, and 



57" 



BIOGK Willi \l. AM) REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



was well known and highly respected by all 
who knew him. Nine children were born 
to the parents of the subject as follows: 

John \\\, win' was in the Mexican war dur- 
ing the second year of the war for one year. 
He was in Company H. Fourteenth Illinois 
\ olunteer Infantry, during the second year 
of the Civil war, having been lieutenant in 
i ieneral Palmer's regiment, having served 
two years when he lost his voice and was 
compelled to resign. He was the first City 
Marshal of Decatur, Illinois, and lived there 
the rest of his life. He was also the first 
man to run a bakery in that city. He died 
there in 1901. The second child was named 
Mary Ann and is deceased; James R. is 
living in Grand Prairie township. Jefferson 
county, Illinois. He was formerly a teacher 
and painter by trade. He was in Company 
F. One Hundred and Fifty-fourth Illinois 
Volunteer Infantry, having served over one 
year. Martha J., who died in November, 
1904, remained single and lived at home. 
Alfred died in infancy; Hugh, the sixth 
child, learned the bricklayer's trade. He 
made a trip overland by Pike's Peak to Cal- 
ifornia and was there two years. After be 
returned he went to Louisiana. He was in 
the Confederate army, and died three 
months before the close of the war. having 
been buried at Richmond, Virginia. Wil- 
liam A., our subject, was the seventh child 
in order of birth; Clara, who became the 
wife of Rev. J. C. Baldridge, a Methodist 
minister, is deceased. He lives in Chicago. 
Andrew J. lives at Irvington, Illinois, and 
is a stock dealer and engaged in farming. 



The subject was educated in the home 
schools. After he left school, Mr. Hartley 
w as ' ne of the brave sons of the North, who 
offered his services in suppressing the re- 
bellion, having enlisted August tS. 1861, in 
Company C, Eleventh Illinois Volunteer In- 
fantry, at Centralia as a private. He was 
sent to Bird's Point, Missouri, remaining 
there until February 5, 1862, where he was 
drilled. He then went to Fort Henry, ten- 
nessee, remaining there four days, when he 
marched to Fort Donelson and was in the 
battle there, the regiment he was in losing 
six hundred men out of seven hundred 
and fifty in killed. wounded and 
prisoners. He was at Fort Donelson until 
the middle of March, 1862. when he went 
to Shiloh, and was in that battle. He was 
wounded April 6, 1862; he was shot 
through the right shoulder and was sent to 
a hospital in Tennessee. He ran off from 
there and went hack to his regiment and 
the captain ordered him hack to the hospital, 
lie was later sent home, where he remained 
until in August, 1862, when he went back 
to his regiment, remaining until November 
20th, following when he was discharged at 
Cairo, Illinois, after which he returned 
home. His health was poor and in the 
spring of [863 he went to Memphis. Ten- 
nessee, where he clerked in a wholesale 
house, where he remained until the follow- 
ing October, when he returned home and 
began teaching school at Grand Prairie 
township. Jefferson county, devoting the 
following thirty years to teaching in that 
COUnty, and the following ten wars to teach- 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



0/7 



ing in Marion county, mostly in Centralis 
township, having taught fourteen terms in 
i me district. He became well known as an 
able instructor and his services were in great 
demand. In 1889 he moved to Walnut Hill, 
Illinois, where he taught in the winter and 
worked in a store during the summer 
months, having worked five years for D. 
B. Kell. 

Our subject was united in marriage April 
27, 1865, to Rebecca J. Boggs, a native of 
North Carolina, the daughter of Joseph B. 
and Mary (Wyant) Boggs, both natives 
of North Carolina. Mr. Boggs came to 
Marion county, Illinois, and settled in Rac- 
coon township in 1858. Both he and his 
wife are now deceased. 

One son has been born to the subject and 
wife, namely : George, who was born 
March 16, 1866. He was educated in the 
home schools, and is in the Sentinel office 
at Centralia, Illinois. He married Flora 
Pierson; they have one son, William A. 

Mr. Hartley has been Supervisor for four- 
teen years and in the spring of 1908 he was 
re-elected for two years. He was clerk of 
the town of Grand Prairie, and was Jus- 
tice of the Peace at Walnut Hill for six 
years. He has always been an active work- 
er in the Republican ranks. In his fraternal 
relations he is a member of the Independent 
Order of Odd Fellows, at Walnut Hill, 
having joined the lodge there in 1882. He 
has held all the offices and attended the 
Grand Lodge. He is also a member of the 
American Home Circle, also belongs to 
the Grand Army of the Republic No. 600 at 
37 



Walnut Hill, of which post he is now adju- 
tant, having held all the offices in this post. 
The subject and wife are members of the 
Methodist Episcopal church, having been 
identified with the same for the past forty 
years. Mr. Hartley has been industrious 
and success has attended his efforts, and he 
has become widely known. 



FRANCIS M. BATES. 

The subject of this sketch is one of the 
sterling citizens of Centralia township, Ma- 
rion county, where he has long maintained 
his home near Walnut Hill, being known 
as one of the progressive men of the com- 
munity and always interested in movements 
looking toward the development of the 
same. 

Francis M. Bates was born in Jefferson 
county, Illinois, in Rome township. May 
15, 1 84 1, the son of James and Elizabeth 
(Bostwick) Bates, the former a native of 
Maine and the latter of Maryland. The 
father grew up in Maine and was well edu- 
cated. He left that state when a young 
man and went to Ohio, where he engaged 
in farming, having devoted his life to the 
farm. Later he went to St. Clair county, 
where he bought land and where he lived 
for several years. Then he went to Jeffer- 
son county. Illinois, in the early thirties; he 
got a farm there in Rome township, and 
settled on land which he purchased for one 
dollar and twenty-five cents per acre. His 



578 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCEN1 HISTORY 01 



death occurred there in i860, and his wife 
died in 1873. llc held no offices, but was 
an old-line Whig and later a Republican. 
He was a member of the Baptist church, 
and she of the Methodisl church. They 
were the parents of thirteen children, name- 
ly: Benjamin, James, Sarah A., Belle, 
George, Francis, Wesley, Mary J. Five 
children died in infancy. 

The subject of this sketch attended the 
home schools, principally subscription 
schools. He remained at home until he was 
twenty years old. when he married on Feb- 
ruary 20, 1861, to Nancy Martin, a native 
of Bedford county, Tennessee, and a 
daughter of Willis and Jane (Stamper) 
Martin, both of Bedford, Tennessee. They 
grew up in that country, and were married 
there. They came to Jefferson county. 
Illinois, where Mr. Martin secured wild land 
and settled near Mt. Vernon. He was one 
of the brave "boys in blue." having enlisted 
in the ( )ne Hundred and Tenth Illinois Vol- 
unteer Infantry. He fell sick at Nashville, 
Tennessee, died and was buried in the Na- 
tional cemetery in 18(13. I lis wife survived 
until 1893. Nine children were born to 
them, six of whom grew t<> maturity, 
namely: Nancy, William. Mary. James. 
John, Martha. 

Fourteen children. nine of whom 
reached maturity, were born to the subject 
and wife as follows: William, a miller, liv- 
ing in Mt. Vernon, Illinois; Spencer is a 
miller at Walnut Hill. Illinois; Luther i-; a 
blacksmith at Mt. Vernon, Illinois; Ida is 
the wife of Zelter ration, who is living in 



Chester, Illinois; Mary married Joseph 
Root a farmer of Centralia township; Wal- 
ter is a farmer in Raccoon township, this 
county; Flora married Irvin Smith and is 
living in Centralia township: Mettie is the 
wife of J. Smith, of Centralia township; 
Homer is a miller living at Shattuc. Il- 
linois. 

After his marriage Mr. Bates located 
near Mt. Vernon, Illinois, and took up 
farming - , which he made a success of until 
he heard the call for brave sons to save the 
Union, consequently he enlisted in Company 
E, Eightieth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, as 
as private, on August 25, 1862, at Mt. Ver- 
non and was drilled at Centralia. His first 
engagement was at Perryville, Kentucky, 
on October 8. 1862. where he was wounded, 
having been shot through the left wrist. He 
was sent to the hospital at Louisville, Ken- 
tucky, where he remained for three months 
and was discharged on account of disability, 
much to his regret, for he desired to see fur- 
ther service and do what he could to help 
suppress the rebellion. 

After his army experience he came home 
and worked at farming for several years. 
Then he engaged in the milling business at 
Dix, Jefferson county. Illinois. In 1875 he 
came to Walnut Hill, and bought an inter- 
est in the Walnut Hill Flour and Feed Mills. 
later he bought the entire plant and finally 
sold the mill in 1005. Since then he has 
devoted his lime principally to farming, 
lie purchased a farm of eighty acres in 
Raccoon township, and also other land, 
which he sold, but he still owns a small 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



579 



place which is well cultivated. Mr. Bates 
has always been a hard worker and success 
has attended his efforts. He formerly voted 
th Republican ticket, but in late years has 
voted the Prohibition ticket. He is a mem- 
ber of the Grand Army of the Republic at 
Walnut Hill, also a member of the Metho- 
dist church at that place. Mr. and Mrs. 
Bates are fine people and they enjoy the 
friendship of all their neighbors and exten- 
sive acquaintance owing to their good lives. 



HORACE BRONSON. 

Among the highly respected and influen- 
tial citizens of Centralia township, Marion 
county, Illinois, is the subject of this sketch, 
whose long and active life has been one of 
usefulness and honor, a native of the great 
Empire state, which has sent so many of its 
best sons into the West. He has kept up the 
state's reputation for sterling citizenship and 
loyalty to the government. 

Horace Bronson was born in Oneida 
county, New York, November 14, 183 1, the 
son of Allen and Triphena (Hudson) 
Bronson, both natives of Chautauqua coun- 
ty, New York. Allen Bronson devoted his 
life to farming and in 1859 he came to Illi- 
nois, and located in Grundy county. He 
later went to Dennison, Iowa, and in 1893 
went to Odell, Illinois, where he died in 
1894, his wife having died in the state of 
New York. The subject's father married 
a second time, his last wife being Kate 



Douglas, of New York state. She died in 
Grundy county, Illinois. Mr. Bronson was 
a loyal Republican and an influential man 
in his community. His wife was a member 
of the Methodist church. The following 
children were born to Allen Bronson by his 
first wife, namely: Horace, our subject; Jay 
was a soldier in the Civil war in the Seventy 
sixth New York Volunteer Infantry and 
located in Detroit after the war, where he 
engaged in business ; Walter, a farmer at 
Pontiac, Illinois, served in the navy during 
the Civil war; James Gordon served in the 
Fourth Illinois Cavalry during the Civil war 
after which he located on a farm near Pon- 
tiac, Illinois, where he later died; William, 
a farmer at Odell, Illinois ; Isaac, also a vet- 
eran of the Civil war, is a farmer at Odell, 
Illinois. The following children were born 
to the second marriage : Byron is in the 
United States Signal service, having been 
stationed in the West for many years ; Fred 
is a conductor on the Burlington Railroad, 
located at Galesburg, Illinois; Charles is 
also a conductor on the Burlington at Gales- 
burg. 

The subject attended the home schools in 
his native community and remained a mem- 
ber of the family circle until 1852, when 
he went to California by water, where he 
worked at mining for four years, then went 
back to New York state and first married 
in 1856, Margaret Wright, of Utica, New 
York. She died May 14, 1871. His sec- 
ond wife was Ella Fitzgerald, a native of 
Centralia, Illinois. She died in 1875. He 
married a third time to Elizabeth Eberts, 



:8o 



BIOGRAPHICAL \M> REMINISCEN1 HISTORY OF 



of Camden. Ohio. The subject had three 
children by his first wife, namely: George, 
who is living in the West; Frank, an elec- 
trician in Chicago; Ellen is deceased. The 
subject had no children by his second wife, 
but four by his third wife, namely; Grant, 
a carpenter living at Centralia, Illinois, who 
married Mary Thurston, and they are the 
parents of one daughter, Mabel; Albert J. 
is living at home; Walter is also living at 
home ; Horace is deceased. 

In 1857 tne subject came to Centralia, 
this state, and took up farming, which he 
made a success of until 1869 when he moved 
to Champaign, Illinois, where he farmed 
and raised broom corn with great success 
for a period of thirteen years, and in 1882 
he came back to Centralia and located where 
he now lives, just south of the city of Cen- 
tralia in section 30. where he owns thirty- 
six acres of valuable land, where he carries 
on fruit raising and farming. He also 
raises some stock. 

The subject began making brooms in 
1858 and has carried on the same, most of 
the time ever since. He and his sons have 
carried on this business in connection with 
other line-- with uninterrupted success. They 
have no trouble in disposing of all the 
brooms they can make in the home market, 
for they are known to be a superior grade 
and are eagerly si lUght after. 

.Mr. Bronson has always been a stanch 
Republican and he takes much interest in 
all movements looking to the well being of 
his county. Mrs. Bronson is a member of 
the Christian church. 



VERNE E. JOY. 

Verne E. Joy was born at Carmi, Illinois, 
December 12, 1876. lie was educated in 
the common schools, and after receiving a 
business education spent over three years 
in German)-, as United States Consular 
V^ent at Selingen and Sonneberg. Mr. 
Joy became editor and publisher of the 
Centralia Evening and Weekly Sentinel on 
November 1, 1906, at the time of his father's 
retirement, who had spent a life-time in the 
business and had built up a splendid prop- 
erty in The Sentinels. Under the new man- 
agement the papers assumed a new aspect, 
reflecting the former training of Mr. Joy 
mi Denver, Pueblo and Colorado Springs 
papers in addition to his acquirement of 
the printing trade under his father. The 
Evening Sentinel was given a new style of 
make-up, wire service was added, illustra- 
tions secured and the paper has since ap- 
peared in eight page form instead of four. 
New machinery and equipment was in- 
Stalled and the paper has made a remarkable 
stride forward in circulation and advertis- 
ing, until at present The Sentinel has the 
largest sworn afternoon circulation of any 
daily in Southern Illinois. This paper 
moved to its own new and well appointed 
building the last of October, 1908, where 
it lias ample and commodious quarters and 
is now more than meeting the fondest ex- 
pectations of its numerous patrons. It now 
occupies two floors, each one hundred and 
forty-seven feet long and has practically 
five thousand square feet of floor space. 




RESIDENCE OF F. P. MILLER, 
i entralia, [llinois. 




F. P. MILLER. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



New machinery, new type and other modern 
appliances and accessories have been added 
throughout; a new linotype machine pur- 
chased, and it is now one of the most com- 
plete and up-to-date equipments for the pub- 
lication of a newspaper in all Southern Illi- 
nois. The mechanical appearance of the 
paper is very attractive and in a small way 
equal to any metropolitan paper in the coun- 
try, and in keeping with the paper's claim 
of being "Egypt's Greatest Daily." All 
kinds of job and other high class printing 
are done at The Sentinel office in a large and 
separate department. 



FRANKLIX PIERCE MILLER. 

No resident in Centralia township, Ma- 
rion county, is deserving of specific mention 
in a book of this nature more than the sub- 
ject of this sketch, owing to the fact that 
he has led a very industrious and honor- 
able life, and is widely known as one of the 
leading fruit dealers in the Middle West. 

Franklin Pierce Miller was born in Cale- 
donia, Pulaski county, Illinois, October 23, 
1852, the son of Henry and Catherine 
(Coover) Miller, the former a native of 
North Carolina and the latter of Maryland. 
Henry Miller, who grew up in North Caro- 
lina, was a farmer and he also engaged in 
real estate speculation. He located in Jones- 
boro, Lnion county, Illinois, in the early set- 
tlement of the county, and was one of the 
pioneers of that locality. His father was a 



pioneer merchant there and also run a tan- 
nery. He was accustomed to take leather 
to St. Louis and trade for merchandise. The 
subject's grandfather Miller raised a large 
family and died in Union county, this state. 
The father of the subject had only a limited 
education, but he later devoted much time 
to home-study and became a well read man. 
He was a Democrat and took much interest 
in political affairs, a member of the German 
Reformed church, in which he took a great 
interest, while his wife was a member of the 
Lutheran church. The subject's mother 
had the first cook stove brought into Jones- 
boro and also owned one of the first sewing 
machines, which she operated for many 
years. Henry Miller passed away in 1872, 
at the age of fifty-seven years, and his wife 
survived until 1898. The following children 
were born to them : George, now deceased, 
having died at the age of fifty-seven years, 
married first a Miss Castleman, and his sec- 
ond wife was Addie Phillips. He died near 
Anna, Illinois. He was a teacher in early 
life, and later a commission merchant in 
Chicago. Andrew J., the second child, is 
deceased ; he was a merchant at Cobden, 
Illinois, and married Allie Phillips ; Alice, 
the third child, married Arthur Moss, who 
is deceased ; she is living at Anna, Illinois ; 
John, the fourth child, who was a merchant 
at Anna, Illinois, and who married Mollie 
Green, is deceased. Franklin Pierce, our 
subject, was the fifth child in order of birth. 
Mary married James N. Dickison, a mer- 
chant and a director of the First National 
Bank at Anna. Illinois. David Watson is 



582 



BIOGRAPHICAL \\n REMINISCENT HISTORY <iF 



a grain and lumber dealer at Winnebago, 
.Minnesota; Caleb Monroe lives at Anna, 
Illinois; he is a fanner and fruit grower in 
Southern Illinois. He owns about four hun- 
dred acres of fruit, all kinds of vegetables, 
devoting especial attention to asparagus 
growing. He owns the opera house block 
and other valuable real estate and is in- 
terested in the bank at Anna. 

The subject of this sketch was educated 
in the home schools and remained a mem- 
ber of the family circle until be was nine- 
teen years old, when he clerked in his broth- 
er's store at Cobden, Illinois, where he re- 
mained for one year and then went to Chi- 
cago, where he was engaged with his 
brother, George, in the commission business 
on South Water street for about eight years. 
He closed up that business and came to 
Centralia in 1889, and bought his present 
home. He first put out twenty acres of 
strawberries the first year and the next year 
ten acres more and later planted many ap- 
ple and peach trees. He raises mostly small 
fruits, apples and Elberta peaches. He has 
been a fruit grower and dealer at Centralia 
on an extensive scale for the past twenty 
years, the firm name being F. P. Miller & 
Company, fruit dealers and brokers. They 
buy fruit from Texas, Missouri, Tennessee, 
Georgia and all of the southern states and 
their trade extends as far north as this 

unty. They are the largest dealers in 
Illinois and are known throughout the coun- 
try. Their offices are in the Merchants' 

ite Bank building in Centralia. J. E. 
Hefter, of Centralia. is a partner in the firm. 



They are known as "The Fruit Kings." 
Their business is a credit to this countv and 
is of much importance in establishing in 
other states the prestige of the locality in 
commercial and horticultural lines. 

The subject of this sketch built his mod- 
ern and nicely furnished home in 1900 and 
his substantial and attractive barn in 1908. 

Mr. Miller's happy domestic life began in 
July 8, 1885, when he was united in mar- 
riage with Laura lloag, a native of Cen- 
tralia, Illinois, the daughter of Peter and 
Carolina Hoag, natives of New York. They 
are both deceased. He was foreman of the 
blacksmith shop of the Illinois Central Rail- 
road for forty years. Two bright children 
have added sunshine to the pleasant 
home of Mr. and Mrs. Miller, namely: 
Myrtle I.., the wife of Robert Goodale, of 
Centralia, Illinois, where he is a wholesale 
manufacturer of ice cream. The second 
child of the subject is named Dwight Paul, 
who is at this writing attending Blees Mili- 
tary Academy at Macon. Missouri. He is 
a graduate of the Centralia high school. 

In his fraternal relations the subject is a 
member of the Independent Order of Odd 
Fellows. Queen City lodge, at Centralia. 
Illinois; also the Benevolent and Protective 

Order of Flks and the W Imen. The 

family attends the Baptist church. 

Mr. Miller started in life under none too 
favorable environment, but being ambitious 
and a man of industry, rare common sense 
and foresight, he has always prospered and 
today is ranked among the progressive and 
substantial citizens of Marion countv, II- 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



583 



linois. He learned much in the way of be- 
ing a general business man from his father, 
who was one of the well known men of in- 
dustry in his day, having conducted a saw 
and grist-mill which were run by water- 
power with an old-style propeller saw. It 
was located on Mill creek, Union county. 
He also owned a large maple grove and 
made maple syrup and sugar. 



CHARLES S. HUDDLESTON. 

Dependent very largely upon his own re- 
sources from early youth, the subject of 
this sketch has attained to no insignificant 
position, and though he has encountered 
many obstacles, he has pressed steadily on 
and has won an eminent degree of success, 
and is today one of the foremost business 
men in Marion county, being the owner of a 
large marble and granite works in the thriv- 
ing city of Centralia. 

Charles S. Huddleston was born near Mt. 
Auburn, Kentucky, February 27, 1867, the 
son of George P. and Melinda (Pribble) 
Huddleston. Grandfather Huddleston was 
born in Pennsylvania and moved to Ken- 
tucky in an early day, where he spent the 
remainder of his life and where he died. 
He was a Confederate soldier and died 
from disease contracted while in the serv- 
; ce. His wife died when about fifty-two 
years old. Their family consisted of nine 
children. Grandfather Pribble was a na- 
tive of Pennsylvania, who moved to Illinois 
in 1882 and died the following year at the 



age of sixty-five years. His wife died at 
the age of seventy-two years. They were 
the parents of four chilren and were mem- 
bers of the Christian church. 

The father of our subject remained in 
Kentucky until he was forty years old, when 
he moved to Illinois in 188 1. He was a sol- 
dier in the Eighteenth Kentucky Volunteer 
Infantry in the Union army. He was 
wounded and captured at the battle of Rich- 
mond, Kentucky, and was discharged on ac- 
count of the wound, and he carried his arm 
in a sling for two years as a result of the 
same, the bone in the shoulder joint hav- 
ing been shattered with a bullet. His wound 
still gives him much pain and he draws a 
pension. He now makes his home with out- 
subject. He holds to the faith of the 
Christian church. The mother of the sub- 
ject passed to her rest when thirty-four 
years old, and was buried in the beautiful 
Mt. Auburn cemetery. She was also a 
faithful member of the Christian church. 
George P. Huddleston was a farmer and 
carpenter in his active life, having devoted 
twenty years to his trade with marked suc- 
cess. He had a brother, Charles I., who 
was also a soldier in the Union ranks, hav- 
ing enlisted from Kentucky and served 
through the war, having been with Sher- 
man on his march to the sea. He came out 
of the war on a mule which he captured 
while on a foraging expedition and which 
he rode in the grand review at Washington. 
Another brother, John, also enlisted from 
Kentucky in the Union army, and another 
brother, Peter, was also in the Union serv- 
ice, having also been with Sherman and 



5«4 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCEN1 llhluuv OF 



served to the end of the war. receiving an 
honorable discharge. Lorenzo, another 
brother, was in the Federal ranks. He died 
soon after the close of the war. 

The parents of the subject reared five 
children. 

diaries S. Huddleston, our subject, first 
attended school in Kentucky, which state 
lie left when fifteen years old and came to 
Illinois, in which state he went to the pub- 
lic srhi mis for four or five winters, lie had 
tn walk nearly three miles each way to 
school. During this time and until he was 
twenty years old he worked on the farm, 
after which he served eleven years as a let- 
terer and carver mi marble and granite. 
\ iter four years he became superintendent 
nf the works, so efficient had his services 
been, lie continued as superintendent for 
a period of seven war-. Then the owner 
died and Air. Huddleston was selected to 
cli ise ii]) the business, which he did in a 
mosl satisfactory manner and finally bought 
the business without the payment of one 
dollar, all being in time notes, which he 
paid when due and had the business clear 
of indebtedness. This was in 1901, and he 
ha- since conducted the works successfully. 
It is now the largest works of its character 
in this locality and is well patronized, yield 
ing the owner a handsome income. 

Mr. Huddleston was united in marriage 
in 1891 to Jennie Baldridge, who was born 
in [rvington, Mini is, the daughter of James 
and I.ydia (Pitchford) Baldridge, a native 
of Mini lis. 

Three interesting children have been ■ 
h< irii tn the subjeel and wife, namely: Neva, 



burn in 1892, is in her second year in high 
school in 1908; Ruby was bom in 181)5. is 
also in school; Nina, born in [898, is in 
school. 

In his fraternal relations our subject is 
a member of the Knights of Pythias, the 
Woodmen, also a member of the United 

Commercial Travelers. The subject, wife 
and two oldest children are members of 
the Christian church. Mr. Huddleston is a 
charter member of the Young Men's Chris- 
tian Association and still retains his mem- 
bership in that society, which boasts of the 
second largest membership in the state. In 
politics he is a loyal Republican and is now 
filling his second term as Alderman from 
the Third ward of Centralis in a most able 
and praiseworthy manner. 



BEN \Y. STORER. 



Mr. Storer is one of those estimable char 
acters whose integrity and strong personal- 
ity must force them into an admirable place 
ami mg the citizens of any community, who 
command the respect of their contemporaries 
and their posterity. 

Ben W. Storer, the well known grocer. 
was born in Centralia, Illinois. July 19. 1868, 
the son of Samuel ami Susan 1',. (Hates) 
Storer, and he has taken part in the devel- 
opment of his native village, which he has 
seen grow to a thriving city. The parents 
of our subject reared a family of five chil- 
dren, three boys ami two girls. ,,f whom Ben 
W. was the fourth in order of birth. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



585 



The subject of this sketch was educated 
in the Centralia public schools. He first be- 
gan his business career in a grocery store, 
working for Barton & Stevenson, with whom 
he worked for two years, giving entire sat- 
isfaction. He then took a position with the 
R. D. Beaver Grocery Company, remaining 
in their employ for four years with equal 
success, when he engaged with Colonel Pit- 
tenger in the same business, continuing there 
for four years, building up an excellent 
trade, at the expiration of which time he 
embarked in the grocery business for him- 
self. Having mastered all the details of this 
special line, his success from the first was 
assured, as time soon substantiated. 

Our subject was united in marriage with 
Mabel Kerr, of Centralia, the daughter of 
the late J. N. Kerr, former editor of the Cen- 
tralia Sentinel and Mayor of the city for 
several years, our subject's wife being the 
oldest member of the family. To Mr. and 
Mrs. Storer two bright and interesting sons 
have been born, namely : Wilson Bates and 
Ben 'Wade, Jr., both now in school. 

Our subject is a member of Helmet Lodge, 
Knights of Pythias No. 26, of Centralia. In 
politics he is a loyal Republican, and re- 
ligiously he was reared a Presbyterian. 

In 1892 our subject began business at 
114 East Broadway, having here launched 
successfully a grocer}- store, which steadily 
grew in its volume of business, until now his 
store is known throughout the community, 
his trade extending all over the city and to 
all parts of the county. He has a neat, up-to- 
date store and carries a full line of fancy 



groceries, canned goods, fruits and vege- 
tables of all kinds in season. He employs 
eight clerks and runs three wagons. His 
trade is very largely among the best class of 
people of Centralia, where he is known to all 
classes as a man of honest principles. 



W. B. GOODALE. 



W. B. Goodale was bom in Centralia. 
Marion county, August 17, 1855. the son of 
William and Mary (Sherwood) Goodale, 
who were the parents of five children, four 
boys and one girl, of whom our subject was 
the fourth in order of birth. He bears the 
distinction of being the first white male 
child born in Centralia. The parents of our 
subject were Eastern people. They both 
passed away when our subject was about 
thirteen years of age. W. B. Goodale re- 
ceived his early education in Centralia. When 
in his "teens" he went to work for the Illi- 
nois Central Railroad Company, learning 
the machinist's trade, at which he worked, 
giving entire satisfaction, with this company 
for a period of fourteen years, at the expira- 
tion of which time he had accumulated suf- 
ficient money to buy a fruit farm near the 
city, and for the next fifteen years he ap- 
plied his skill and industry to raising small 
fruits of all kinds with great success, when 
he sold his farm and began the manufacture 
of ice cream, having purchased an interest 
in a plant in 1901. At that time the yearly 
output of the plant was very small, but un- 



5 86 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT IMSToKS 01 



der the efficient management of our subject 
the capacity was gradually increased as trade 
poured in from all sides until now the out- 
put is fifteen times greater than formerly. 

The plant has been thoroughly remodeled 
in every way, having all the latest equip- 
ment for the business, is thoroughly sani- 
tary and always kept very clean. The prod- 
uct of this well known plant is shipped to 
over fifty cities and towns throughout 
Southern Illinois. The cream is bought 
from Elgin and Chicago markets and the 
milk is obtained from the dairymen in and 
about Centralia. 

The plant proper is forty by seventy-five 
feet. All milk and cream is here thorough- 
ly pasteurized by the most complete process. 
It is the only firm in the city that carries 
the state inspector's certificate, being up to 
the standard required by the state. This 
firm also manufacture all their own ice ami 
cold storage, and recently purchased the fac- 
tory and equipment of the Mt. Vernon Ice 
Cream Company. 

W. B. Goodale was united in marriage to 
Mary E. Wild on October 27. 1881. She 
is the <laughtcr of Samuel and Ann Wild. 
one of the old English families of Centralia. 
The wife of the subject is the oldest of 
three girls in the Wild family. One sun has 
blessed the home of our subject and wife, 
named Roberl W.. who is a full partner with 
his father in business and a young man of 
great ability and promise of a future re- 
plete with happiness and success. Robert 
W. Goodale married Myrtle Miller on Jan- 
uary 9, 1907. She is the only daughter of 



Frank and Laura ( Eioag) Miller, the father 
of Mrs. Goodale being a prominent fruit 
grower and commission merchant of Cen- 
tralia. Robert W. Goodale is regarded by 
all who know him as a thoroughly modern 
business man and one of the rising young 
men of Centralia. His education, natural 
ability and commendable qualities have well 
fitted him for an active and thorough busi- 
ness career. 

In politics both our subject and his son 
vote for the character of the man rather 
than the party, although they are sometimes 
counted upon as being Democrats, especial- 
lv in national issues. Religiously they are 
Baptists. Both father and son are thorough. 
practical men in every respect. W. B. Good- 
ale in former years was a member of the 
United Workmen. Robert is a member of 
the Modern Woodmen lodge at Centralia. 



ROMKRT K<> lH- 



Conspicuous among the representative 
citizens and progressive business men 
of Marion county, Illinois, is the gen- 
tleman whose name appears at the head 
of this article, who has by his great in- 
dustry, wise economy and sound judgment 
developed a good business. 

Robert Kohl was horn in Marquette, 
Michigan. January 14. 1856. the son of 
Carl and Caroline I Weiland) Rohl, both na- 
tive- of Germany, the father having come 
from Prussia and the mother from Wur- 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



587 



temburg. They both came to America when 
young and were married in Marquette, 
Michigan. They were the parents of nine 
children, of whom our subject is the oldest 
child of the four now living. His younger 
brother, August, lives in Centralis. 

Robert Rohl's early life was spent in Mar- 
quette, Michigan, where he acquired his ed- 
ucation. While yet a boy he began clerking 
in a hardware store, where he gave entire 
satisfaction to his employer for three years. 
He afterward worked at odd jobs, such as 
carrying hod, stone and brick mason work, 
mixed mortar and did general, all-around 
work on brick, stone and frame building 
construction. After two years of this kind 
of hustling he went to Minnesota, where he 
worked on a farm for five years in the sum- 
mer and during the winter months cut cord- 
wood and sold pumps. Then he returned 
to Marquette, Michigan, and went to work 
in the powder mills, making black powder, 
having worked there for one year, at the 
end of which time he and his younger broth- 
er, August, conducted a beer bottling plant 
in that city, which they successfully conduct- 
ed for six months, when our subject bought 
August's interests in the business and con- 
tinued it for four years from 1881 to 1886. 
While in this business he added soda water, 
bottling and supply trade to his already large 
business. He then sold his business in Mar- 
quette and came to Centralia and began in 
the same business, where he bought out Mr. 
Hayes in 1886, and has since continued with 
marked success, his busness being located at 
117 North Oak street. He paid fifteen hun- 



dred dollars for the plant and has so in- 
creased the trade and the value of the plant 
until it is now worth several times that 
amount. His goods are shipped to the whole 
surrounding country, throughout Southern 
Illinois, and new territory is constantly be- 
ing added, for the superior quality of his 
goods is recognized by all, and new custom- 
ers are constantly coming to him. Mr. Rohl 
now carries about thirty towns on his ship- 
ping list and does a general carbonated soda 
water, ginger ale and all sorts of temperance 
drink business, also wholesale and retail, for 
beers, bar supplies and soda water fountains. 
Our subject was married to Anna Sta- 
bler in May, 1881, and four children have 
been born to this union, namely : Thersa, 
Anna, Caroline and Robert, Jr. Anna mar- 
ried George F. Hails, of Centralia, a switch- 
man on the Illinois Central Railroad. 

In politics our subject is a Republican, 
and religiously he was reared a Protestant. 
He has always taken a great interest in local 
political affairs and his political friends hon- 
ored him by electing him Mayor of Centra- 
lia, his term extending from 1901 to 1903. 
He was Alderman of the Fourth Ward for 
two terms. During his incumbency in these 
positions the city was carefully looked after 
and many public interests promulgated, so 
that his record was one of which anyone 
might well be proud. 

Mr. Rohl in his fraternal relations is a 
member of Helmet lodge, Knights of Py- 
thias, also the Red Men and Pocahontas. He 
belongs to the Turners, also the United Com- 
mercial Travelers. He is a member of the 



5 88 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



Travelers' Protective Association, and was 
secretary ami treasurer for four years of 
the United Commercial Travelers. He was 
chosen president of the Illinois State Bot- 
tler:-' Protective Association Eor two years. 
He was a state delegate to the convention of 
the National Bottlers' Protective Associa- 
tion, held in Denver in 1907. 

The subject's father is still living at Mar- 
quette, Michigan, at the age of eighty-two 
years. His step-mother is also living at the 
same age. Our subject's mother died when 
forty years old. Grandfather Rohl died in 
Germany at the advanced age of ninety-six 
years, and his maternal grandfather died at 
the age of seventy-eight years. 



EDWIN L. WATTS. 

The subject of this sketch is recognized 
as one of the leading citizens of Centralia, 
where he is known by all as a business man 
of unusual ability, a man of progressive 
ideas and at all times ready to do his part 
in furthering any interest for the public 
good. 

Edwin L. Watts was born in Clinton 
county, live miles west of Centralia, on a 
farm. November 11. 1873, the son of Wil- 
liam M. and .Martha (Short) Watts, both 
natives of Illinois, in whose family there 
were five children, two boys and three girls, 
Edwin I... our subject, being the youngest 
in order of birth. 

Our subject received his early education 



in the common schools of his native com- 
munity, having applied himself in a careful 
manner and gained a good education which 
has later been added to by home reading, 
and by coming in contact with the world. 
He devoted his life to farming up to 1904, 
having been prosperous at this line of work, 
laying up from year to year a competence 
and making a comfortable living. But be- 
lieving that larger interests were to be 
found in Centralia. he came to this city and 
entered the livery business in which he was 
very successful for a period of two years, 
at the end of which he went into the im- 
plement business, having been associated 
with J. D. Breeze since 1906, the firm being 
Breeze & Watts, their well known place of 
business being 321 South Locust street, Cen- 
tralia. They handle a full line of imple- 
ments, vehicles, harness, buggies, wagons, 
drills, seeders, corn shellers and they deal in 
general stock on a large scale. Their store 
is always filled with customers and is one 
of the busiest places of its kind in Centralia. 
Before coming to Centralia, our subject 
served as Assessor of Raccoon township in 
a very creditable and acceptable manner for 
one year, during which time the interests of 
the township were as carefully looked after 
as if they had been his individual business. 

Mr. Watts was united in marriage to 
Mary Patton, November 20, 1895. She is 
the daughter of T. A. and Lena (Smith) 
Patton, a well known and influential family 
of this county. 

Mr. Watts' comfortable and cheerful 
home has been brightened by the presence 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



589 



of the following children : William R., Len- 
na F., Ruby R., all bright children and mak- 
ing good grades in the local schools. 

Mr. Watts is a genial and most com- 
panionable gentleman and has many warm 
and admiring friends among the res- 
idents of his adopted city as well as in the 
township where he lived so long, and the 
high regard in which he is held not only in 
business but socially indicates the possession 
of attributes and characteristics that fully 
entitle him to the respect and consideration 
of his fellow men. 



TRUMAN B. ANDREWS. 

Characterized by breadth of wisdom and 
strong individuality, the achievements of 
the subject of this sketch but represent the 
utilization of innate talent in directing ener- 
gies along lines in which mature judgment 
and a resourcefulness that hesitates at no 
opposing circumstances, pave the way and 
ultimately lead to achievement. 

Truman B. Andrews was born in Jeffer- 
son county, Illinois, September 25, 1852, 
the son of Seymour and Martha (Hender- 
son) Andrews, who were the parents of ten 
children, the subject of this sketch being the 
third in order of birth. When about four 
years of age he went to Warren county, Il- 
linois, with his parents, where he remained 
until ten years of age, then moved to Cen- 
tral ia, where he has since remained, having 
been identified with the growth of the com- 
munity and taking a prominent part in its 
development for a period of over forty-six 



years at this writing, 1908. He received his 
schooling in the Centralia common and high 
schools. Following in the footsteps of his 
father, he decided to become a merchant, 
and when he left school he began clerking- 
for his father and later became bookkeeper, 
with whom he remained assisting in build- 
ing up a fine trade in the dry goods and 
clothing business until his father retired 
about 1890. Truman then went with the 
firm of G. L. Pittenger, who conducted a 
grocery store, remaining with the same for 
four years with his usual success. He then 
went to work for the Pittenger & Daves 
Mining and Manufacturing Company, as 
their assistant secretary in the office work 
of this extensive enterprise, with which he 
was identified for six years, giving high 
class service in every respect. Mr. Andrews 
then worked in the Centralia Mining and 
Manufacturing Company, which is operated 
by the same people as their secretary, re- 
maining as such for seven years, or until 
they retired from active business. He con- 
tinued to work or the firm that succeeded 
them remaining until he bought an interest 
in the firm of Gillett & Company, clothiers 
and gents' furnishers. They manage a big 
and well stocked store and Mr. Andrews is 
to be found here daily ready to wait upon 
his scores of customers who know that 
they will here receive the most courteous 
consideration and always receive the full 
value of their money. The stock is kept 
well up-to-date and is carefully selected at 
all seasons. This store is one of the most 
tastefully arranged and neatly kept of any 
in Southern Illinois and customers are al- 



590 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



ways pleased to visit it where they are made 
t< i feel at ease. 

The domestic life of the subject of this 
sketch dates from December 17, 1874, when 
he was married to Amanda J. McClelland. 
daughter of John and Margaret McClelland, 
of Marion county, a well known and in- 
fluential family. To this union three in- 
teresting children have been born, namely: 
Bailie, Lois and Cinnie. Hallie married 
Bessie Robinett, of Columbia, this state, and 
they are the parents of one son, Raymond, 
born in 1904. Hallie Andrews is firing an 
engine on the Illinois Central Railroad. 
Lois is married to L. R. Porter, a blacksmith 
on the Illinois Central Railroad, of Cen- 
tralia, and they are the parents of two chil- 
dren, one boy, Emmett, born in 1905, and 
one girl, Lorena, who is one year old in 
1908. Cinnie, the subject's third child, mar- 
ried George Green, of Centralia, where he 
is engaged in the barber business. 

In politics our subject is a supporter A 
Republican issues. He is a member of the 
Christian church, having been a deacon for 
a period of fifteen years, and is also a trus- 
tee of the same. In his fraternal relations 
he 1- a member of the Modern Woodmen. 
No. 397: the Knights of Pythias, No. 26; 
also a charter member of the Knights and 
I. .ulies of Honor, having served in man) 
the chairs of the last two lodges. Mr. An- 
drews was Township 1'nhlic School Treas- 
urer (if twenty years, being still in this po- 
sition. He is greatly interested in educa- 
tional matters and has always done what he 
could to further the interests of the local 
schools. He also faithfully served as Town 



Clerk of Centralia for a period of six years. 
He has also been a member of the Centralia 
City Fire Department for over twenty-five 
years, having frequently hazarded his life 
day and night in order to save property. 



HON. I). W. HOLSTLAW. 

Few names in Marion county are as wide- 
ly known and as highly honored as the one 
which appears at the head of this review. 
For many years as a farmer, hanker and 
prominent business man. D. W. Holstlaw 
has ranked and also occupies a conspicuous 
place in business and state. On both sides 
of his family Mr. Holstlaw springs from 
sturdy antecedents and he has every reason 
to be proud of his forbears. His father. 
Daniel S. Holstlaw. was a stock dealer and 
farmer, being a native of Kentucky and 
widely known and highly esteemed citizen. 
He became a resident of this county about 
1830. settling in Stevenson township, where 
in due time he accumulated a large and val- 
uable estate and achieved much more than 
local reputation as breeder and dealer in 
live stock, besides attaining an honorable 
standing as a public spirited citizen and en- 
terprising man of affairs. Daniel S. Holst- 
law did much to promote the material prog- 
ress of the section of country in which he 
lived, and was equally interested in the so- 
cial and moral advancement of the commu- 
nity, doing all within his power to benefit 
his neighbors and fellow citizens, and leav- 
ing to them the memory of a useful life and 
an honorable name when called from the 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



591 



scenes of his labors and triumphs on the 
fifth day of December, 1905. The maiden 
name of Mrs. Daniel Holstlaw was Ruth 
Wade Middleton. She was born in Ten- 
nessee and is still living on the old family 
homestead in Stevenson township, where, 
surrounded by relatives and friends, she is 
passing the evening of a well spent life with 
nothing in the future to fear or in the past 
to regret. The family of this estimable cou- 
ple consisted of eleven children, all of whom 
are living. A more extended mention of 
this family will be found upon another page 
of this volume. 

Daniel W. Holstlaw was born February 
5, 1849, at the family home in Stevenson 
township, and there spent the years of his 
childhood and youth, learning at an early 
age the lessons of industry, economy and 
self-reliance, which had much to do in form- 
ing a well rounded character and fitting him 
for the subsequent duties of life. When 
old enough to be of service he helped with 
the labors of the field and in due time be- 
came a valuable assistant to his father in 
the latter's live stock interests and other 
business, proving faithful to his various 
duties and worthy of the trust reposed in 
his integrity and honor. Meanwhile as op- 
portunities permitted he attended the com- 
mon schools of the neighborhood, but by 
reason of his services being required at home 
his education was somewhat limited. In 
after years, however, he made up very large- 
ly for this deficiency by a wide range of 
reading and careful observation, but more 
especially by his relations with his fellow 



men in various business capacities, thus be- 
coming the possessor of a fund of valuable 
practical knowledge, which could not have 
been obtained from schools or colleges. 

Mr. Holstlaw spent his minority under 
the parental roof, in the cultivation of the 
farm and otherwise looking after his par- 
ents, but in the year 1870 he severed his 
home ties to accept a clerkship in a mer- 
cantile house in the town of Iuka. After 
serving in the capacity of clerk until becom- 
ing an efficient salesman and acquiring a 
knowledge of the business he formed a part- 
nership with James W. Humphries, and dur- 
ing the two years ensuing the firm conduct- 
ed a thriving trade and forged rapidly to the 
front, among the leading merchants of the 
town. At the expiration of the period noted 
Mr. Holstlaw purchased his partner's inter- 
est and adding very materially to the stock, 
soon built up a large and lucrative patron- 
age, and it was not long until he became one 
of the most successful business men of the 
county, a reputation he sustained during the 
thirty odd years which he devoted to mer- 
cantile life. Meantime he saw a favorable 
opening at Iuka for the banking business, 
and in compliance with the suggestions of 
many of his fellow townsmen and others 
as well as consulting his own inclinations, 
he finally established a bank in his store, 
which soon formed a valuable adjunct to the 
business interests of the town and surround- 
ing country. After conducting the two lines 
of business jointly until 1907. he disposed 
of his mercantile interests, and since that 
time has devoted his entire attention to bank- 






BIOGR \ !■ 1 1 H Al, AMI REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



ing, establishing in luka the ILilstlaw Bank, 
which is now one of the most successful and 
popular institutions of the kind, not only 
in Marion county, hut in the southern part 
of the state. The growth of the hank in 
public favor has more than met the high ex- 
pectations of .Mr. Holstlaw and others in- 
terested in its success, the patronage, which 
takes a wide range, being liberal, but all that 
could reasonably be desired, and the solidity 
■ I the institution beyond the shadow of 
a doubt. 

A- the executive head and practical man- 
ager of the bank, Mr. Holstlaw exemplifies 
the sound judgment, wise discretion and rare 
foresight which have ever characterized his 
business dealing, while his familiarity with 
financial matters enables him to conduct the 
institution in the broad though wisely con- 
servative spirit which bespeaks its continu- 
ous growth and solidity. The bank building 
is an elegant modern structure, erected espe- 
cially adapted for the purpose and amply 
equipped with all the appliances necessary 
to the successful prosecution of the business, 
the safe, furniture and other fixtures being 
of the latest and most approved patterns and 
calculated to satisfy the taste of the most 
critical and exacting. Mr. Holstlaw is also 
a stockholder and director of the Salem Na- 
tional Bank and also the bank at Si. Peter. 

In addition to his Ion-- and eminently SUC- 
cessful career in business, Mr. Holstlaw has 
for many years been one of the leading poli- 
ticians of Marion county, his activity in po- 
litical circles, however, being by no means 

fined to local affairs, hut state wide in 



its influence. He is firm and unchanging in 
his allegiance to Democratic principles and 
mid all vicissitudes in which the party has 
been subject during the last two decades, he 
has never wavered in his loyalty, nor when 
necessary hesitated to make sacrifices for 
its success. Judicious in counsel and an 
untiring- worker, he has been a standard 
bearer in a number of campaigns and it was 
not until recently tli.it he consented to serve 
his party in a public capacity, although fre- 
quently importuned and solicited by his 
many friends to accept the offices for which 
by native training he is eminently fitted. In 
the year 1908 he was elected to the upper 
house of the General Assembly, and althoug 
but fairly entering upon his official duties In 
has already made his influence felt among 
his brother Senators, and bids fair to ren- 
der his constituency and the state valuable 
service and earn an honorable record among 
the distinguished legislators of the common ' 
wealth. 

On January 3, 1875, Mr. Holstlaw and 
Clara R. Stevenson were united in the holy 
bonds of wedlock, a union blessed with two 
children, the older a son, Herschel D.. and 
the younger a daughter, who answers to 
the name of Florence E. 

Herschel 1'. Holstlaw. whose birth oc- 
curred on December 20. 1875, was educated 
in the home schools and Bryant & Stratton's 
Commercial College, and since beginning 
life for himself has been associated with his 
father, being :n this time cashier of the 
Holstlaw Bank and a man of fine business 
ability. He was married October 3. 1900. 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



593 



to Louise Tully, of Xenia, Illinois, whose 
parents, Joseph E. and Fannie (Paine) 
Tully. still live in that town, the father being 
a banker and merchant, and one of the old- 
est of three children. Mrs. Holstlaw 
is the oldest of three children born 
to these parents, her two brothers. Joseph 
M. and William Paine Tully, being residents 
of Xenia, and associated with their father in 
merchandising and banking. Florence E., 
the subject's second child, married Albert 
E. Kelly, of North Vernon, Indiana, but 
now a resident of Iuka, Illinois, where he is 
engaged in the mercantile trade at the old 
Holstlaw stand. 

Mr. Holstlaw's activity in business to- 
gether with his superior methods and hon- 
orable dealing has resulted greatly to his 
financial advantage and he is now one of 
the wealthy and reliable men of Marion 
county, being in independent circumstances, 
with more than a sufficiency of this world's 
goods to render his future free from care 
and anxiety. Additional to his mercantile, 
banking and other interests at Iuka, he owns 
several valuable farms in various parts of 
the county and is also quite extensively in- 
terested in live stock, being one of the larg- 
est breeders and raisers of fine cattle in this 
part of the state, these and his other hold- 
ings indicating the energy and capacity of a 
mind peculiarly endowed for large and im- 
portant enterprises. 

Clara R. Stevenson., who became the wife 
of Hon. D. W. Holstlaw, as stated in a pre- 
ceding paragraph, is a native of Stevenson 
38 



township and a daughter of Hon. Samuel 
E. Stevenson, in whose honor the township 
was named. Mr. Stevenson was born in 
Ohio August 9, 1819, and his wife, whose 
maiden name was Elizabeth Kagy. was also 
a native of Ohio. The Stevensons were 
among the pioneer settlers of Fairfield coun- 
ty, Ohio, and it was there that Samuel E. 
spent his youth, beginning to earn his own 
living at the early age of six years. Later 
he received eight dollars per month for his 
services as a farm laborer, and by industry 
and strict economy succeeded in saving in 
four years the sum of one hundred dollars, 
his expenses for clothing during that time 
amounting to only forty dollars. Going on 
horseback to Illinois, he invested his savings 
in cattle, which he drove to Ohio and sold at 
a liberal profit, the venture proving so suc- 
cessful that he decided to continue the busi- 
ness. During the several years following he 
made a number of trips to and from Illi- 
nois , buying cattle and disposing of them 
at handsome figures, and in this way laid 
the foundation of what subsequently became 
an ample fortune. After his marriage to 
Miss Kagy, which took place in Marion 
county, Illinois, in 1848, he located in what 
is now Stevenson township, where he en- 
tered a large tract of land and engaged in 
farming and stock raising, devoting especial 
attention to the breeding of cattle, in which 
he met with the most gratifying success. 
Later he became interested in public affairs 
and in due time rose to a position of consid- 
erable influence among his fellow citizens. 



594 



I iRAFHICAL ami REMINISCENT HISTORY 01 



who in recognition of valuable political serv- 
ices elected him in 1866 to the lower house 

of the Legislature. 

Mr. Stevenson was one of the leading 
Democrats of his day in Marion county and 
achieved a wide reputation throughout the 

state as an able and admit politician. He 
filled worthily a number i if pi isitii >ns of how r 
ami trust, wnn the esteem of the people ir- 
respective of party alignment and became 
une of the most popular men of his time in 
Southern Illinois. In connection with farm- 
ing and stock raising he held large interests 
in the Sandoval coal mines and was also a 
heavy stockholder in the Salem National 
I Sank and appeared to succeed in all of the 
enterprises to which he devoted his atten- 
tion. He not only gave his children the 
best educational advantages the country af- 
forded, but also provided liberally for their 
material welfare by giving each a good start 
when they left home to begin life for them- 
selves. He was long a sincere member of 
the Baptist church, as was also his wife, and 
spared no pains in instructing his children 
in the truths of religion and the necessity 
of moral conduct as the only basi> of a true 
and successful life. Mrs. Stevenson died in 
[876 and her husband in the year [899, the 
loss of both being greatly deplored and pro- 
foundly mourned by their many friends in 
Marion and other counties of Southern Il- 
linois. 

The children of Samuel E. and Elizabeth 
Stevenson, nine in number, were as Eollows: 
Clara B., wife of Hon. D, W. Holstlaw; 
Marion T.. a farmer and Stock dealer of 
Marion county ; Joanna, widow of the late 



Aaron Warner, of Stevenson township, 
where she now resides: Edgar, for some 
years one of the leading teachers of Marion 
county and a young man of noble aims and 
high ideals, who departed this life Novem- 
ber. [878, in the prime of his physical and 
mental powers. He began school work at 
the age of eighteen, soon attained an hon- 
orable staiuling as an educator, and at the 
time of his death was considered one of the 
finest and most accomplished instructors in 
this part of the state. Homer R.. the fifth 
in order of birth, married Clara Humphries 
and devotes his attention to fanning, in 
which his success has been very gratifying. 
Van C, who married Ella Brunton, lives on 
the old family homestead and is also a suc- 
cessful tiller of the soil; Frank M., the sev- 
enth of the family, was graduated from Illi- 
nois College in 1886, and the year following 
was killed by lightning. He, too, was a 
young man of intelligence and culture and 
his untimely death terminated what prom- 
ised to be a useful and honorable career. 
Anna, who married Frank Boynton, of Sa- 
lem, is deceased, and Maggie, the youngest 
of the family, is the wife of W. E. Irvin, 
and lives in Salem. 



THOMAS M. LANE. 

The honorable gentleman whose name ap- 
pears above is entitled to wear the badge 
indicating that he is one of the brave "boys 
in blue." and while some casual thinker 
might not attach much importance to this 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



595 



fact, those who rightly consider the matter 
know that no greater badge of honor could 
be conferred upon a man. 

Thomas M. Lane was born in Madison 
county, Ohio, August 19, 1844, the son of 
Hooper and Margaret (Martin) Lane, who 
were the parents of four children, our sub- 
ject being the oldest in order of birth. Hoop- 
er Lane was born in Ohio, as was also his 
wife. 

The early education of the subject of this 
sketch was gained in Washington county, 
Iowa, where he was reared on a farm and 
labored hard as a boy and young man until 
1 86 1, when on June 15th of that year, being 
unable to resist the call of his government 
for help in its hour of need, he enlisted in 
the Tenth Iowa Infantry, under Colonel 
Parsell, of Keokuk, Iowa, and was mustered 
into the service of the L^nited States Sep- 
tember 28, 1861. He was in Company D, 
under Captain Berry, of Boone county, 
Iowa. He remained with this company un- 
til 1863, taking part in all its engagements, 
when he re-enlisted at Huntsville, Alabama, 
and was transferred to Company E of the 
same regiment as a veteran, April 1. 1864. 
by Captain York, under Captain Shepherd 
and Colonel Strong. Our subject made a 
most gallant soldier, having fought in twen- 
ty-eight battles and skirmishes. He was dis- 
charged August 15. 1865, at Little Rock, 
Arkansas, by Adjt. Gen. N. B. Baker. 

After the war Mr. Lane returned to Wash- 
ington county, Iowa, where he remained for 
two years and devoted his time to farming. 
He then turned his attention to railroading: 



in 1867, in the fall of that year beginning 
work on the Ohio & Mississippi Railroad 
at East St. Louis. From there he went to 
North Missouri, where he was employed on 
the Wabash Railroad for two years. He 
then went to the Rock Island Railroad, run- 
ning as a brakeman from Davenport to Des 
Moines. He was also switchman and final- 
ly conductor for the Hannibal Railroad, 
from St. Joseph to Hannibal, Missouri. He 
then went to the Missouri Pacific Railroad, 
running from St. Louis to Chamoise, Mis- 
souri. Mr. Lane then was employed by the 
C. B. & U. P.. a branch of the Missouri Pa- 
cific Railroad ; later he went to the Illinois 
Cental Railroad as yard crew conductor, 
which position he held for eight years in the 
East St. Louis yards. While thus employed 
our subject had the misfortune to lose his 
right hand on October 14, 1897. When he 
recovered from this injury he was placed 
on the detective force of this road, in which 
capacity he remained until 1900, when he 
resigned and came to Clinton county, where 
he bought a fruit farm, which business he 
followed for two years, when he sold out 
and came to Centralia, where, on February 
19. 1902, he formed a partnership and 
launched in the real estate business, later 
purchasing his partner's interest and be- 
came sole manager of the "Home Real Es- 
tate Company," of Centralia, and he now 
enjoys a good, thriving business. 

Mr. Lane became widely known during 
his railroading days, giving the various 
companies for which he worked entire satis- 
faction, being regarded by them as one of 



59 6 



RAPHICAL AM) REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



the most trusted and efficient employes, al- 
ways at his post and conscientious in his 
work, so that lie was always highly recom- 
mended for his servires. He enjoys the full 
confidence of his numerous friends. His 
long and wide experience in army and rail- 
road life has made him a reader of men and 
a most appreciative neighbor. He votes the 
Republican ticket, having first voted for 
Abraham Lincoln at Savannah, Georgia. He 
was reared by pious Methodist parents. Our 
subject is unassuming and open hearted and 
honest to the core. 



lU'RDEN PULLEN. 

As a member of one of the pioneer fami- 
lies of this country j Mr. Pullen calls for 
recognition in a compilation of the province 
assigned to the one at hand, and it is a pleas- 
ure to enter this review of his upright and 
successful career, for he has ever been faith- 
ful in the performance of whatever duty he 
found to lie his. without thought of reward 
or praise from his fellow men. 

Burden Pullen was born in Mercer coun- 
ty, New Jersey, June 8, 1833, the son of 
Janus B. and Sarah (McCabe) Pullen. 
Grandfather Pullen, who was of English 
descent, lived in New Jersey and died at the 
advanced age of ninety-eight years. He de- 
voted his life to agricultural pursuits and 
reared to maturity a family of nine children. 
His noble life companion was a faithful 
member of the church. Grandfather Mc- 



Cabe, who was of Scotch-Irish blood, lived 
on a farm, and both he and his wife lived 
to advanced ages, rearing a large famliy, 
The father of the subject was reared in Xew 
Jersey, and being poor, his parents could not 
give him the school advantages that he de- 
sired. However, he made the best use pos- 
sible of what he had. and after leaving school 
learned the cooper's trade, although he never 
worked at it to any extent. He left New Jer- 
sey in 1839 and settled in Middletown, Ohio, 
going into the fruit and nursery business 
and developing into a well known and prom- 
inent horticulturist, the study of which he 
had begun before leaving New Jersey, and 
devoted his life to that business with pro- 
nounced success. He died at the age of 
sixty-five years, having been survived by a 
widow until she reached eighty-six. They 
were members of the P.aptist church and 
their family consisted of nine children. 

The early education of the subject of this 
sketch was obtained in the district schools 
df Ohio, where he diligently applied him- 
self. Desiring to receive a higher educa- 
tion, he later entered Franklin College in 
Indiana, but on account of sickness was 
obliged to leave before finishing the course 
he had hoped to take. He worked on his 
father's fruit farm and was with him as an 
associate in the business until 1856, when he 
came to Centralia, Illinois, then being twen- 
ty-three years old. He opened a nursery. 
becoming a horticulturist of more than lo- 
cal note. He bought the place where he now 
resides in 1857. The place consisted of 
scventv acres and all of it was used as a nur- 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



597 



sery and fruit farm. Much of his land is 
now laid out in city lots and has been sold. 
He closed the nursery branch and gradually 
worked all into the horticulture line, which 
he made a great success. 

Mr. Pullen's happy married life dates 
from December 10. 1857, when he was unit- 
ed in the bonds of wedlock with Lucille O. 
Gex, a native of Kentucky. Her ancestry 
was of French descent. Her grandparents 
on the mother's side were named Price. They 
were from England and her grandfather 
was a Baptist minister. Her father was an 
educated man, a linguist. He was a planter 
in Kentucky and a slave holder. 

Nine children have been born to the sub- 
ject and wife, named in order of birth as 
follows : Lucian C. is married and the fa- 
ther of four children : Rena is the wife of E. 
S. Condit and the mother of two children : 
Maud, who was the wife of Dr. George Ab- 
bott, is deceased ; Blanche is also deceased ; 
May is the wife of Charles P. Marshall and 
the mother of two children ; Fred is mar- 
ried and has one child ; Rome B. is the sev- 
enth child and Bird G. the eighth, the latter 
married and has two children ; Lillie is the 
youngest and the wife of Raymond A. Beck 
and the mother of one child. 

The subject's first wife died in 1891, and 
he was again married September 13, in 1893, 
to Mrs. Anna E. Russell, of Clinton county, 
Illinois. 

Our subject is one of the original organ- 
izers of the local First Baptist church, of 
Centralia, and is the only living member of 
the original organization. In politics he was 



originally a Whig, then a Republican, but 
in late years a Democrat. He was a mem- 
ber of the State Board of Agriculture, hav- 
ing been vice-president of the same for twen- 
ty years. He was one of the Commission- 
ers appointed by the Governor to take charge 
of the Illinois exhibit at the World's Fair in 
1893 at Chicago, and was chairman of the 
Committee on Horticulture and Floriculture. 
He spent two years in this work, having 
charge of and preparing the grounds and 
buildings for this display. He was for some 
time Trustee of the University of Illinois, 
by appointment of Governor Oglesby. hav- 
ing been Chairman of the Committee on 
Grounds. He was also Auditor of the State 
Board of Agriculture, having had charge of 
the purchasing department and a number of 
other departments. He has had charge of 
some one of these departments for the past 
twenty years. 

Mr. Pullen, besides having been a very 
busy man in this line, has also had other 
business of much importance. He assisted 
in the organization of the Merchants' State 
Bank of Centralia and was its first presi- 
dent, having faithfully performed the duties 
of this exacting position for a period of six 
years, and withdrew on account of physical 
disability. E. S. Condit, a grandson of the 
subject, is now assistant cashier of this bank. 
Mr. Pullen was one of the organizers of the 
Centralia Ice and Cold Storage Company, 
and has been its president ever since it was 
first organized. His son, Fred, is secretary 
and business manager of the same and has 
ably filled this position since 1898. 



59 8 



BIOGUU'lin \I. AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



Mr. Pullen has long taken an active in- 
terest in public affairs and he has served 
creditably as School Trustee and Director, 
also Township Supervisor. He was active in 
the District Fair Association and was the 
first president of the same, having been 
chosen by acclamation, and it was largely- 
due to his efficient efforts that the success of 
the fair was due. Whatever of success has 
been attained by our subject is due entirely 
t" his own industry, energy and ability. From 
small beginnings he gradually, by the most 
honorable methods, attained a prominence in 
his county which entitles him to be regard- 
ed as one of its leading citizens, his reputa- 
tion being that of a man of business in- 
tegrity, and his modern home is often the 
gathering place for numerous friends of 
himself and family. 



F. H. BAUER. 



All honor should be due the men who turn 
the ideal into the practical, inaugurate such 
conditions ami crystalize into the probable 
ami actual what appear to be wild flights of 
fancy and imagination. It is of such a man 
that the biographer here essays to write. 

F. II Bauer, the well known proprietor 
"f the Centralia Steam Laundry, one of the 
busiest places in the city, was born in Ma- 
rion county. Illinois, September n. 1866, 
the son of Fred and Amelia (Ruple) Bauer, 
in whose family there were two sons, our 
subject being the older. 



Mr. Bauer was educated in the Centralia 
public schools and the high school. Being 
ambitious to receive a business education he 
attended the night schools in St. Louis. Mis- 
souri, where he made a splendid record. He 
began his life work when eighteen years old 
by entering the employ of the Illinois Cen- 
tral Railroad. He worked for some time as 
fireman and was later promoted to locomo- 
tive engineer, and for a period of twelve 
years gave entire satisfaction in whatever ca- 
pacity he served, and being regarded by the 
company as one of the most trusted and 
valuable employes. 

After his railroad experience he turned 
his attention to mining in the Joplin (Mis- 
souri) zinc and lead mine district, where he 
remained one year, after which he returned 
to Centralia, Illinois, and took the occupa- 
tion of tonsorial artist, which he pursued 
with marked success for a period of four 
years, at the expiration of which time he pur- 
chased the laundry plant originally known 
as Ormsby & Ormsby laundry, having been 
started in 1880. H. C. Watts bought the 
Ormsby plant and run it for several years, 
when his interests were purchased by the 
enterprising .and hustling subject of this 
sketch. Mr. Bauer at once proceeded to re- 
model the plant throughout, replacing the 
1 'Id worn-out machinery with latest models 
and most up-to-date equipment in every re- 
spect, lie also rebuilt the engine in every 
part. Outside of the large cities this is one 
of the oldest laundries in the state and none 
turns out better work, for the plant is 
equipped with the best machinery obtainable 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



599 



and only expert employes are to be found 
here. Useless to say that with such an en- 
terprising man at the head of this old es- 
tablished institution that it at once assumed 
new life and his success was instantaneous, 
his patronage having steadily increased from 
the first. When he first assumed charge the 
total income of the plant was only sixty-five 
dollars per week. Mr. Bauer has increased 
this to two hundred dollars per week. In 
1901 this plant employed only three girls; 
now thirteen are constantly employed. The 
main room of this plant is one hundred and 
forty feet long by twenty-four feet wide and 
the capacity is now over-crowded. Work 
is done in this laundry for all surrounding 
towns as far east as Wayne City and as far 
north as Kinmundy, west to Evansville, Il- 
linois, and south to Herrin. They do hotel, 
barber shop and family washings for more 
than one hundred and fifty patrons per 
week. 

The domestic life of Mr. Bauer dates 
from October 30, 1891, when he was united 
in the bonds of wedlock with Louise Jones, 
the daughter of a well known family, and to 
this union one child has been born, Wen- 
dell A., whose date of birth occurred Feb- 
ruary 20. 1 90 1. 

Our subject was reared a German Luth- 
eran. He is an ardent Democrat in his po- 
litical beliefs. He holds membership in the 
following orders in Centralia : Masons, Blue 
Lodge No. 201 ; Chapter No. 93 ; Council 
No. 28; Knights Templar No. 26; Knights 
of Pythias No. 26; Pythian Sisters, Lotus 
Temple No. 8; Odd Fellows No. 179; En- 



campment No. 75. He is also a member of 
the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen 
and Engineers No. 37. Mr. Bauer takes a 
great interest in lodge work. 



LEVI BRANCH. 



There can be no greater honor than to 
serve one's country honestly and conscien- 
tiously in any capacity, but when the na- 
tion's integrity is at stake and it becomes 
necessary for the citizen soldiery to leave 
plow and workshop and go into the conflict, 
risking limb and life, it is a much greater 
sacrifice and the honor attached thereto is 
higher than almost any other known to man. 
Of this worthy class belongs the subject of 
this sketch, a veteran of the war between the 
states, who has long led an active and useful 
life in Marion county. 

Levi Branch was born in Meigs county, 
Ohio, January 3, 1843, r ' ie son °f Samuel S. 
and Elizabeth (Smith) Branch, the former a 
native of Vermont, of hardy New England 
stock, having been born there December 27, 
1801. He was a farmer and also a Baptist 
preacher. Grandfather Stephen Branch 
moved to Ohio when Samuel was an infant 
of twelve months. There were three boys 
and one girl in their family. He died Jan- 
uary 29, 1862. Elizabeth Smith, mother of 
the subject, was born in Pennsylvania Au- 
gust 4, 1806. Samuel S. Branch and wife 
were the parents of seven children, four boys 
and three girls, of whom Levi, our subject. 



duo 



BIOGRAPHICAL AMI KKM1.N ISCK.NT HISTORY OF 



is the sixth child in order of birth. He was 
the son of Samuel S. Branch's third wife. 
There was one son by his first wife and one 
daughter by his second wife. A half broth- 
er of the subject was also in the Union army 
and five of the Branch brothers were in the 
Civil war. all of whom returned home after 
their enlistments had expired. Levi Branch 
enlisted at Springfield, Illinois, and he left 
Wayne county April jj, 1863. being- a mem- 
ber of Company M. Fifth Illinois Cavalry, 
under Colonel McConnell and Capt. R. X. 
Jessup. His first active service was in a 
skirmish in Missouri and he was captured 
near Collinsville, Tennessee, where he and 
three of his comrades were held for twenty- 
four hours and were then sent to Memphis 
on fictitious parole given by the colonel in 
the saddle. He was discharged at Spring- 
field October 27, 1865. after having- made 
an excellent record as a soldier, returning 
to Wayne county and took up farming after 
the war. 

Mr. Branch was married to Clarinda Phil- 
lips January 3, [864, and to this union six 
children have been born, all deceased. The 
oldest daughter. Ida I'"., who was a grad- 
uate of the Centralia high school, died when 
twenty-four years of age. The other chil- 
dren died in infancy. 

Clarinda Phillips, the daughter of John 
and Harriett Phillips, of Wayne county. Il- 
linois, i- the third child in a family of five 
children, all girls. Mr. and Mrs. Branch 
ired from Wayne county to Austin, Min- 
esota, in 1X76, where they remained one 
year, then came to Rice county. Kansas, 
where they remained for fifteen years, and 



in 1892 moved to Centralia, where Mr. 
Branch followed the carpenter's trade, hav- 
ing done considerable contracting also in 
this city. He has always been known as a 
very able workman, his services being satis- 
factory to all concerned, for he is conscien- 
tious and painstaking. 

In politics Mr. Branch is a Republican, 
but he is a great admirer of William J. 
Bryan, for whom he voted three times. In 
religion he adheres to the Baptist faith, in 
which he was reared, but he joined the 
Christian church, and is a faithful attendant 
of the same. He is known to be a man of 
uprightness and honest in all his dealings 
with his fellow men. and he has won many 
friends since coming to Centralia, where he 
has been very successful in his line of busi- 
ness. 



JOHN A. SNODGRASS. 

The gentleman whose name initiates this 
sketch has shown by a long life of industry 
and honesty that he is entitled to a place in 
the history of Marion county. John A. Snod- 
grass was born August 28, 1836, in Scott 
county. Indiana, the son of Samuel Snod- 
grass, a native of Kentucky, who was born 
in 1800 and who married Mira Hardy, of 
New Hampshire. He lived in Kentucky un- 
til 1818, when he went to Jefferson county, 
Indiana, with his father. Hugh, where he 
lived until his death in 1S50. lie was a 
farmer and a member of the Christian 
church, also a temperance worker and a 
member of the Sons of Temperance. His 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 



60 1 



wife died in 1851. Seven children were 
born to them, namely : Norma, deceased ; 
Marion, who died in Pilot Knob, Missouri, 
in 1863, was a soldier in the Union army; 
Tirzah is single and always lived with the 
subject; Mary married Solomon Cutshall, 
a farmer at Patoka, Illinois; John, subject 
of this sketch ; Alonzo, a plasterer in Okla- 
homa, was in Company H, Twenty-second 
Illinois Infantry, for two years, later re-en- 
listing; Lambert, who is deceased, lived with 
the subject in Centralia. 

John A. Snodgrass received a limited ed- 
ucation in the subscription schools of the 
early days. He lived at home, assisting with 
the work about the place, until the Presi- 
dent's call for loyal citizens to aid in sup- 
pressing the rebellion induced him to enter 
the conflict, having enlisted in September, 
1862, in Company H, Twenty-second In- 
diana Volunteer Infantry at Lexington, In- 
diana. He was sent to Kentucky and Ten- 
nessee, and was in the engagements at Per- 
ryville, Lancaster, Nolansville and Murfrees- 
boro, having fought seven days at Stone 
River. He was taken sick after that battle 
and was in the field hospital, later sent to 
Nashville, still later to Louisville, suffering 
with rheumatism and fever, becoming so sick 
that he was given up by the physicians to 
die. He was discharged from the army for 
disability, October 20, 1863, after which he 
returned home, where he remained until the 
spring of 1866. when he came to Illinois and 
located one mile west of Central City on a 
farm. He then came to Centralia township, 
where he remained three years, moving one 
and one-half miles south of Centralia, where 



he has remained for the past twenty-six 
years. He bought a home and three lots in 
Centralia, and in 1900 purchased his pres- 
ent splendid home at 1301 South Locust 
street. He has farmed, made brick and 
teamed, making a success at each. He re- 
tired in 1906. 

Mr. Sodgrass was married in 1868 to 
Mary Crawford, of Centralia, the daughter 
of Zachariah Crawford, of Kentucky, who 
in 1840 came to Illinois, locating two miles 
west of Centralia. He was a blacksmith and 
also owned a good farm. The subject's wife 
passed away in 1870. Mr. Snodgrass has one 
daughter, Lulu, who is the wife of Charles 
Phillips, of Centralia. He is now engaged 
in the round house of the Illinois Central 
Railroad. Our subject has reared two of 
his brother's children, John and Lizzie Snod- 
grass. 

Mr. Snodgrass is a member of the Grand 
Army of the Republic, the post at Centralia, 
and his sister is a member of the Christian 
church. Our subject is a fine old man whom 
everybody likes and everybody respects and 
honors for his life of industry and loyalty 
to high principles. 



THOMAS F. MEAGHER. 

The subject of this sketch is one of the 
well known men of Centralia, and his resi- 
dence in Marion county has shown him to 
be a man of business ability and honesty of 
purpose so that he has won the confidence 
of those with whom he has come in contact. 



602 



BIOGRAPHICAL VND REMINISCENT 1 1 ISTOR V ( IK 



rhomas F. Meagher was born December 
j^. [848, in Toronto, Canada, the son of 
James W. and Anna (Ryan) Meagher, the 
former a native of the county of Tipperary, 

In-lain], as was also his wife, where they 
grew up and married. He was a carpenter 

by trade and he came to Toronto, Canada, 
in iN4_\and in 1865 he moved with his fam- 
ily td Chicago, where lie worked at his trade 
until his death in 1869, his widow having 
survived until 1892. They were members 
of the Catholic church and they were the 
parents of the following children; Joseph 
P., who was in the United States navy dur- 
ing the rebellion and later a policeman and 
butcher in Chicago; Thomas F., our sub- 
ject ; Harry is a painter and foreman in the 
Denver & Rio Grand Railroad shops in Colo- 
rado City, Colorado, lie was quartermaster 
in the army for five years tinder General 
Miles. Maria is the widow of Samuel Pal- 
ing and lives in Chicago; Margaret is the 

widow of Jerome I' Merrill, of Chicago. 

< Mir subject went to the common schools 
and later educated himself. lie and Ins 
brother Joseph went in the fall of 1864 to 
t IhicagO and followed the lake- For five years 

steamboating, and he was for three years in 
the whole-ale house of J. \Y. Doane & Co., 
of Chicago. After this he went into the 
land office of the Illinois Central Railroad 
in Chicago. During the greai fire of Octo 

her 8 and 9, 1 S 7 1 . he saved all the land 

iml In loks of this company, \fter 

the lire the office was moved to Centralia 

iubjeel came here to look after the 
business, lie continued in the- laud ot'tice 



and also traveled all over the country for 
thi- road a- traveling land agent, selling 
land and collecting and looking after their 
interests in general. In 1882 he was ap- 
pointed Deputy Revenue Collector of the 
Thirteenth United States District of Illi- 
nois for one term. After this he returned 
to the employ of the Illinois Central, with 
which he remained until 1884. He was re- 
garded by this company as one of the mosl 
trusted and indispensable employes. 

Mr. Meagher was united in marriage No- 
vember 3, 1872. with Mary A. I.awler, who 
was born in Chicago, the daughter of Mich- 
ael and Johanna ( Phelan) Meagher, both 
natives of Tipperary county, Ireland. They 
came singly when young people to America 
and settled in Chicago when the country 
thereabout was a wilderness. lie was a 
gardener by trade and also teamed exten- 
sively. He helped lay out the famous Lin- 
coln park of that city, putting out trees. 

etc. Me died in 1893 and his wife died ill 
1898. Their children were: Mary A., the 
subject's wife; John, who is with J. W. 
Reed) Elevator Company in Chicago; Ed- 
ward is a street ear conductor in Rochester, 
Xew York; William is shipping clerk for a 
candy manufacturing (inn in Chicago; Mar- 
garet is single anil living in Chicago; The- 
resa is single and operating a hair dressing 
establishment at 92 State street. Chicago; 
Sarah is the wife of J. \\ . Reedy, of Chi- 

cag '. 

Ten children have been horn to the subject 

and wife, as follows: Frank J. is single and 
living at home, clerking in the offices of the 



RICHLAND, <L.\V AND MARION COUNTIES ILLINOIS. 



603 



Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad in 
Centralia; Margaret is saleslady at Marshall 
Field's & Co., Chicago. ; Mary is saleslady 
at Hartman's Dry Goods Company, Centra- 
lia; Thomas T. is a machinist on the Big 
Four Railroad at Mattoon. Illinois: James 
W. is a cigarmaker in Naples, New York- 
Henry Edward is foreman of The Democrat 
office in Centralia; Charles A., who died 
at the age of twenty-one years, was clerk 
for the Illinois Central Railroad at Chicago, 
also in Centralia, having died February 25, 
1905; Frederick D. is a machinist in Dan- 
ville, Illinois, for the Illinois Central Rail- 
road Company ; Anastacia is bookkeeper at 
Marshall Field's & Co., Chicago; Richard 
T. is a boilermaker in the Illinois Central 
shops at Centralia. 

In 1884 the subject was elected Circuit 
Clerk and County Recorder of Marion coun- 
ty, serving with much credit for a period of 
four years. He has always been active in 
politics and is a loyal Democrat. He is not 
a member of any church. He has made a 
success of his life work, for he has been a 
very industrious man and possesses rare 
business acumen. 



TOHX WOODS. 



The venerable and highly honored citizen 
of Centralia whose name appears above has 
through a long life of industry and fidelity 
to duty shown that he is worthy of a place 
in the history of Marion county along with 



his fellow citizens of worth. John Woods, a 
retired farmer, was born in Tennessee, De- 
cember 29, 1827, the son of Willis and Mary 
(Willis) Wood^. both natives of North Car- 
olina, who went to Tennessee in an early 
day, and in 1828 came to Marion county, 
Illinois, settling south of Odin, taking up a 
claim, later locating near Kinmundy, Illi- 
nois, just northwest of Centralia. He died 
in 1859 and his wife is also deceased. He 
was twice married, his last wife being Nellie 
Berge, 01 Connecticut. She is deceased. The 
father of the subject was always a farmer, 
a man well known and highly respected, a 
Democrat, but never aspired for office. He 
and his wife were members of the Christian 
church. Six children were born to them as 
follows: Louisa, deceased; John, our sub- 
ject: William, deceased: Mary, deceased: 
Green, deceased : the youngest child died in 
infancy. 

Mr. Woods had little chance to attend 
school, having lived at home until he was 
twenty years of age and assisted with the 
work about the place, attending subscrip- 
tion school a few months in the winter. He 
was married March 11. 1847. to Catherine 
McClelland, who was born in April. 1831. in 
Centralia township, the daughter of Isaac 
and Sarah C Welsh) McClelland, the former 
a native of Pennsylvania, and the latter of 
Tennessee. He came to Illinois in 1820. set- 
tling near Walnut Hill. Marion county, later 
coming to Romine Prairie and then to Cen- 
tralia township, north of Centralia in San- 
doval township. He secured seven hundred 
acres of land. He engaged extensively in 



604 



UIOGKAl'ilH AL AND REMINISCENT history 01 



farming and stock raising- and became a 
prominent man in his locality. I le held many 
local offices and spent the latter part of his 
life in the city of Centralia. He died in 
18S1. his wife having preceded him to the si- 
lent land in 1848, and he married a second 
time, his last wife being Mary J. Collum, of 
Maryland, who is deceased. Six children 
were born to Mr. McClelland, all by his 
first wife, namely: Alexander, who is now 
deceased, lived in Sandoval township; John 
went to Oregon in 1883 and died in 1906; 
Rachael married Thomas X. Deadman, and 
she is now deceased: Catherine is the wife 
of the subject; Elizabeth, who is deceased, 
married W. K. Bundy, of Raccoon town- 
ship; Rebecca J., who married Richard Col- 
lins, lives in East St. Louis. 

Nine children were born to Mr. and Mrs. 
John Woods, four of whom are now living, 
namely: Isaac X., who remained single, is 
deceased: Willis died young; Mary F., who 
is deceased, married Asa Mattocks ; Luella 
married William Ingrahm, of Centralia; 
Sarah Ellen, who remained single, is de- 
ceased; Cella Ruth married Erastus Root 
.May 6, 1883, and eight children have been 
born, namely: Lawrence. Xellie. John. Kate, 
Jessie, Clyde. Marie and Charles, all living. 
John died when young; Susan married John 
Heyduck, of Centralia, an engineer on the 
Illinois Central Railroad, and they are the 
parents of five children. Lawrence, John, 
William R.. George 11. and Ruby May. 
George, who was the fifth child in order of 
birth, is a farmer on the old home place in 
Centralia township, who married Martha 



Sanders, and they have four children, Buell. 
Myrtle, Helen and Mabel. 

After his marriage our subject and wife 
located in section 15. Centralia township, 
where he secured one hundred and sixty- 
acres of land, which was entirely unim- 
proved, but he was a hard worker and soon 
had a comfortable home and carried on gen- 
eral farming and stock raising in a most suc- 
cessful manner. He was popular in his 
township and was School Director for four- 
teen years and held a number of minor of- 
fices. He was always a stanch Democrat 
and he and his good wife are members of tl»' 
Christian church. Mr. Woods retired from 
active business life in December. iSy8, and 
has since lived in Centralia. Me and his wife 
are well preserved for their years and they 
can tell many interesting things that hap- 
pened in the early days in Marion county. 



WILLI \M 1). XLWMAX. 

This venerable citizen of Centralia ranks 
with Marion county's conspicuous figures, 
having been one of the sterling pioneers 
from Eastern Tennessee, from whence so 
many men came to this state and did so 
much in its upbuilding. William D. New- 
man having been born in Blounl county. 
that state. August 13. 1833, twelve miles 
south of Knoxville, the son of Louis J. and 
Rachael (Logan) Newman, both natives of 
Blount county. Tennessee, the former the 
son of David and Elizabeth (Phillips) Xew- 



RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES. ILLINOIS. 



6o = 



man, also of the above named county, who 
came to Illinois in 1833 and settled five 
miles west of Richview in Washington coun- 
ty, where he secured three hundred acres of 
land, which he later added to, dealing ex- 
tensively in stock growing and general 
farming, and he became a prominent man in 
that locality. Daniel died in 1840 and his 
wife followed him to the silent land in 1852. 
He was a cooper by trade. Twelve children 
were born to them, the only one now living 
being Campbell Newman, in Chanute, Kan- 
sas. The subject's maternal grandfather 
was William Logan, of Tennessee, who mar- 
ried a Miss Edmonston, of Tennessee. They 
both died in that state. He was a farmer 
and he and his wife were the parents of four 
children, all deceased. The subject's father, 
Lewis J. Newman, was educated in the pub- 
lic schools and in 1854 came to Illinois, set- 
tling in Richview, Washington county. He 
was a carpenter and cabinetmaker by trade. 
In 1861 he located in Patoka. Illinois, and 
lived there many years, and in 1873 went 
to Collins, Texas, and he died there in 1876. 
His wife died September 5, 1863. They 
were members of the Methodist Episcopal 
church, South. He was Justice of the 
Peace at Patoka and active in politics, being 
a Democrat. Twelve children were born to 
them as follows : Alexander, who formerly 
lived in this county, went to Texas in 1874 
and died there. He was a preacher for many 
years in the Methodist Episcopal church, 
South. He was in the Thirty-first Wiscon- 
sin Volunteer Infantry. The second child 
was William D., our subject ; Elizabeth, who 



is deceased, married Charles Smith, living 
at Patoka, Illinois; Sarah, who remained 
single, is deceased; Eveline, who also re- 
mained single, is deceased ; Lorenzo D. lives 
in Patoka. He is a carpenter and he mar- 
ried Fannie Rice. He was in Company F, 
One Hundred and Eleventh Illinois Volun- 
teer Infantry ; Martin is deceased ; Mathew 
C. is deceased ; Henry is also deceased ; 
George W. and Andrew J., twins, are both 
deceased ; James lives in Dallas, Texas. 

William D. Newman, the subject, had only 
a limited schooling in the home schools. He 
lived at home until he reached the age of 
twenty-four years, and he came to Illinois 
in 1855, locating at Richview. He learned 
the carpenter's and cabinetmaker's trade with 
his father. He married February 11, 1858, 
Mary E. Gray, who was born October 3, 
1840, in Tonti township, Marion county, the 
daughter of J. H. and Nancy M. Eddington, 
the former having been born in Maury coun- 
ty, Tennessee, in 1817, and died in Patoka, 
Illinois, September 2, 1878. His wife was 
born in Clinton county, Illinois, October 
27, 1 819, and she died in 1905. J. H. Gray, 
a farmer, was the son of Joseph and Agnes 
(Denton) Gray, the former a native of Ten- 
nessee and the latter a French woman. They 
married in Tennessee and came to Marion 
county, Illinois, in 1820, settling near Kin- 
mundy. They died near the above named 
place. To them were born the following 
children : Rev. James D., of the Methodist 
Episcopal church; John H., Samuel, Abner, 
William, Martha Jane, Joseph. The chil- 
dren of John H. Gray and wife are as fol- 







BIOGRAPHK \l- AND REMINISCENT HISTORY 01 



lows: James I), was in Company F, One 
Hundred and Eleventh Illinois Volunteer In- 
fantry: Captain A.. S. lives in Patoka, Illi- 
nois (see his sketch): Mary E. is the wife of 
the subject; Thomas Benton was clerk for 
Col. James S. Martin during the Civil war: 
Jane is deceased ; Amanda, deceased: Henry, 
deceased; Samuel died in infancy; Albert is 
deceased; Alfred is deceased; Sarah, de- 
ceased; Hattie lives in Memphis, Tennes 
see : Kmma, deceased. 

Eleven children have been born to W illiam 
I ). Newman and wife, as follows: Lina, de- 
ceased; John A., who is in the office of the 
first vice-president of the Burlington Route, 
Telegraph Operators' Association headquar 
ters in Chicago, who married Maria W'ertz ; 
Jennie, deceased; Alice, deceased; Ella, de 
ceased; Nellie, deceased: Fred, who died in 
Kansas City in LO.04, was a telegraph op- 
erator, and he married Evelyn Brooks, who 
is the in. .ther of three children, Claude. 
Floyd and Esther; Lillie, who is deceased, 
married Clyde Soots. She was an accom- 
plished musician, both in vocal and instru- 
mental music. Mattie, the ninth child in 
order of birth, is deceased; \V. D. is a car- 
penter by trade. However, he now runs a 
meat market in Centralia. and he married 
Ethel Ralston, who is the mother of one 
son. Arthur, and a daughter, deceased; Jesse 
1'.. married Mary Hollinger and they have 
two children, Harvey and Bessie. He is a 
carpenter ami contractor in Centralia. 

After his marriage our subject and wife 
lived in Rich view. Illinois, for three years 
and then went to Patoka, Marion county, 



where Mr. Newman engaged in the under- 
taking business for over thirty years, hav- 
ing been \ en successful in this line of work. 
In February, 1901, he came to Centralia and 
has since that time been a successful con- 
tractor and builder. He is a Democrat and 
has long taken an active part in politics. He 
joined the Masonic Order in 1S70 at Pa- 
toka, the Blue Lodge No. 613. Mrs. New- 
man is a member of the Eastern Star. Mr. 
Newman is also a Good Templar. He and 
his wife are members of the Cumberland 
Presbyterian church, and they have always 
been active in church and Sunday school 
work. Mr. Newman has a fine voice and is 
a great singer. He is a leader in the local 
church and is very prominent in church 
work. His past record is that of a man of 
genuine worth and honesty, and because of 
bis many good cjualities he is highly respect- 
ed wherever he is known. 



(11 \RRF.S V. BURT. 

The record of the gentleman whose name 
introduces this sketch is that of a man who 
by his own unaided efforts has worked his 
waj from a modest beginning to a position 
of influence and comparative prosperity in 
bis community while yet young in life. 
Throughout his career he has maintained 
the most creditable standards of personal 
and business integrity, and without putting 
firth any efforts to the end of attaining 
popularity he has achieved it in a local waj 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF 



60/ 



by the manner in which he transacts the 
everyday affairs of a busy man. His life has 
always been one of unceasing industry and 
perseverance and the systematic and hon- 
orable methods which he has followed have 
won him the unbounded confidence of his 
fellow men. 

Charles V. Burt was born in Marion 
county, Illinois, twelve miles east of Cen- 
tralia. October 25, 1876, the son of Addison 
and Margaret A. (Morrison) Burt. The 
father of our subject was born in Indiana, 
January 3, 1852. and after attending the 
home schools until he was about fifteen 
years old, went to Wisconsin with his par- 
ents, and about a year later came to Illi- 
nois and located on a farm in Marion coun- 
ty, where he resided until 1885, when he 
moved to Macon county, this state, his death 
occurring there in 1886. A Republican in 
politics and a man of excellent repute, he 
was highly respected by all who knew him. 
Luther Burt, grandfather of the subject, 
came from Pennsylvania in an early day, 
having been born in Washington county, 
that state, where he grew to manhood, and 
when the Civil war broke out enlisted in 
Company F, One Hundred and Forty-sev- 
enty Indiana Volunteer Infantry, serving 
through the war as a private. He moved 
to Wisconsin in 1866. then to Illinois in 
1867. locating in Marion county, removing 
to Macon county, this state, in 1881, where 
he now lives. On August 2, 1852. he was 
united in marriage with Violet Swain, who 
was born in Preble count}-. Ohio, and she is 
still living. Mr. and Mrs. Luther Burt are 



the parents of ten children, five boys and an 
equal number of girls. 

Mrs. Harriett Morrison, maternal grand- 
mother of the subject, who was born near 
Walnut Hill, Jefferson county, Illinois, and 
who is a sister of Squire Andrews, of Cen- 
tralia. is still living in Marion county and 
is enjoying good health for one of her ad- 
vanced age. After the marriage of the sub- 
ject's maternal grandparents they moved to 
Little Prairie, where Mr. Morrison died. 
They were known for many years through- 
out the community where they resided for 
the excellent quality of sorghum molasses 
they made, and were largely patronized by 
the farmers for miles around. No towns 
were in the county at that time and all 
goods used in the county were hauled from 
St. Louis, to which city local products were 
placed on the market, usually in exchange 
for goods, provisions, etc. Most of the 
teaming was done with oxen. The subject's 
mother was born twelve miles east of Cen- 
tralia, June 23. 1857, and lived at the old 
home until she married in 1876, then she 
moved to a farm on Romine Prairie, seven 
miles south of Salem in Raccoon township. 
She now lives with our subject most of the 
time. Mr. and Mrs. Addison Burt were 
the parents of four children, three boys and 
one girl, namely: Charles V.. our subject: 
Frank Le Clare, deceased ; Esther D. is 
married ; Roy C. is also married. 

Our subject was about nine years old at 
the time of his father's death. He remained 
at home during his boyhood days, attend- 
ing school in four different places, working 



I „ >s 



I'.Kn.KAI'IIH AL AMI REMINISCENT IllSToKV OF 



in the meantime on the farm during the 
summer months, which work he continued 

until his mother moved to Kell, Illinois, 
where she conducted a hotel. Here Charles 
Y. managed a livery barn with much suc- 
cess for a period of four years, after which 
he moved to Centralia and worked in the 
envelope factory for one year, then secured 
emplc lyment at the South Mines for eight- 
een months; hut. not satisfied with his work, 
he decided to become a merchant and accord- 
ingly went to work in a grocery store a& 
clerk, which position he filled with entire 
satisfaction to his employer. Finding it to 
his advantage to give up the grocery busi- 
ness on account of a better opportunity 
opening up in another direction. Mr. Hurt 
accordingly formed the firm of Burge & 
Hurt, dealing in real estate, farms and city 
property, their business having been large 
from the first and has steadily increased, 
having been SO conducted a- to gain the con 
fidence of the many patrons of the firm 
throughout this locality. An extensive 
business is also carried on in fire insurance. 



city and farm, also accident and health in- 
surance. 

The happy domestic life of Charles V. 
Burt began May 31, i<;oo. when he was 
united in marriage with K^tclla Stonecipher. 
daughter of Hiram and Dorcas Stonecipher. 
of near Kell. Illinois. Mr. Stonecipher is one 
of the substantial agriculturists of that 
community, and the subject's wife is the 
third in order of birth in a family of five 
children. 

Mr. and Mrs. Burt are the parents of 
three children. Wandah \\. born April 3, 
1002 ; Thaddeus L., who was born October 
'7- ^903, and one died in infancy, all hav- 
ing been born in the city of Centralia. 
where the subject has a comfortable and 
nicely furnished home, where their many 
friends often gather. 

Our subject is a member of the Modern 
Woodmen of America and is in the team 
work of the lodge. No. 307. of Centralia. 
In his political relations he supports the 
principles of the Republican party, and he 
and his estimable wife are both members of 
the Christian church. 











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